Most Eligible Bachelor
by iheartss
Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer’s story for a leading magazine forces them together? Sethummer, perhaps a little Ryrissa later. It's my first story so be kind!
1. The Assignment

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

The sun rose and illuminated her room through the blinds. As it hit her face, she stirred. After nearly ten minutes of squeezing her eyes shut for as long as possible and pretending that the next day had not yet come, Summer's alarm clock went off, and she quickly rose and crossed the room to kill the shrill beeps.

She padded down the hall way and into the guest room, also known as Blanche the puppy's room. The small poodle, named for Summer's favorite Golden Girl, jumped up and down, furiously panting and running in circles to greet her master.

"How's my little girl this morning?" Summer said mid-yawn, as she bent down and scooped the dog up like a football. After putting on a fleece jacket over her silk pajamas, she retrieved Blanche's pink leash and stepped out onto 5th Avenue for her morning walk.

After walking for about an hour and downing her usual Quad Venti Soy Latte from Starbucks, Summer headed back towards her flat to prepare for her day. When she returned home, she noticed her answering machine blinking, so she pressed the play button as she walked into the bathroom.

"Good morning, my favorite little reporter. It's Charlotte. I have a huge piece for our All About Men issue, and I need you to come into my office this morning immediately when you get here. It's going to be huge, sweetie, HUGE! Kisses! Ciao!" Summer smirked to herself as she listened to her very dramatic, very insane editor's message end.

Never in a million years did Summer Roberts think that her bible as a young adult, also known as Cosmopolitan magazine, would one day be her place of work. But after interning during her four years at the NYU School of Journalism, and being the offered a job for after graduation during her junior year, she knew that her dreams were coming true.

Well, most of them anyway. She wasn't married to the only boy she had ever loved in her life, or even speaking to him for that matter, but all things considered, her life at 25 was almost everything she hoped it would be.

After rummaging through her closet for 20 minutes and finally deciding on a pin-striped skirt, a classic white blouse, and her favorite black Manolo stiletto boots, she grabbed her leather briefcase, her sunglasses, and was off to meet with Charlotte Henderson, editor-in-chief at Cosmopolitan magazine.

"Summer, Summer, love of my life," Charlotte proclaimed while showering Summer with kisses and affection as she walked through the door.

"Good morning to you, too, my suddenly VERY loving boss," Summer laughed. "So, Charley, what was so pressing that you called me into your office an hour earlier than usual? You sounded so excited on the phone, that I pushed my normal 45 minutes of primping time up to 30."

"Well, dear, as you know, the All About Men issue is coming up in the next month, which is one of our biggest issues of the year. We, meaning the other editors and I, decided at our meeting that we want you, Summer Roberts, to write profiles on three of the youngest and hottest eligible bachelors on the West Coast!"

"Wow," Summer began. "I honestly don't know what to say. I mean, should I be nervous? How big of a story are we talking? And who are these lovely bachelors? Or do I pick them, because that could be a lot of work?"

"Oh, Summer. The list has been made. These are men that are pretty famous, or successful in a variety of industries that are also young and single. The editors and I have had some clerks on this story for awhile, and they have compiled the list, but when it came to writing it, we all agreed that you were the person for the job," Charlotte paused, allowing Summer to absorb what she just said. "Now, unless you have any objections or conflicts, we have booked a plane ticket for you to LA for tomorrow, where you will stay for about 4 days, and meet with 3 of the bachelors."

"So, you're sending me back home, huh?" Summer smiled giddily. She couldn't believe that she was being assigned to this story. She'd only officially worked as a reporter for about 5 months, but the editors were quickly taken with what Seth had once called her "vim and vigor" and had her covering some pretty large spreads.

"Well, we want you to come back—with a very polished and interesting story for our readers in tow. But, you know, if it works out with you and one of the bachelors-"

"Stop that right there. You know that I am not dating right now, because I am too busy writing amazing stories for your ass!" The two laughed. "So, who are these guys anyway? Would I know any of them?"

"Well, maybe. All three of them are actually from Orange County where you grew up. Let's see," Charlotte scanned down the sheet. "There's Ryan Atwood, a young architect, who has already established his own architectural firm and real estate company at age 25 building homes for-"

"For the underprivileged," Summer finished for her boss. As Charlotte raised her eyebrows Summer continued. "We went to high school together, he dated my best friend, I dated his best friend, you know. Who else do you have for me?"

"Well, there's Zach Stevens. He's the-" Summer once again cut off her boss.

"The youngest member of Congress in California history. Spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2008. Expected to be a big up and comer for the Republican Party. You know, I really hope that this other guy is not someone I know, because I'm running out of close guy friends and people I dated from high school," Summer joked.

Charlotte, taking a moment to recover from Summer's rant opened her mouth to finish. "Well, this last guy, he's an artist and a businessman. He actually started a comic book business in high school, and it is now-"

"The fastest growing comic book business in history, with the most popular comic book of all time, Atomic County, as its leading seller? I know, and Charlotte, I don't know if doing this story will be possible for me anymore," an obviously frazzled Summer rambled while letting her head rest in her hands.

Charlotte walked around her desk and sat in the chair next to Summer, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Well, Summer, I know these are people from your past, and it's never fun to go back to high school, but we really don't want anyone else to do this story. We want you. This could be big for you. Stories like this are what you need to be doing if you ever want to work your way up to sit in my chair."

"Charley, believe me when I say that I do want this. SO bad," Summer stopped and bit her lip. "It's just so complicated."

"Well, what is it? I mean, is he an old boyfriend? Did he break your heart? Did he do something awful to you Summer! Because I am in charge, and I can take this publicity away from him and his stupid 'graphic novel' company just as quickly as I can hand it out!"

"Charlotte, it's not that I hate him or that he did something awful."

"Well, what is it then, sweetie?"

"It's the fact that I followed him across country to go to college. It's the fact that he's the only boy that I've ever loved. And last but not least, it is the fact that I broke his heart beyond repair and pushed him away from me, which ultimately resulted in this," she motioned to her self in a very depressed state.

"Summer, if you can't do this I understand," Charlotte said softly as she rubbed a crying Summer's back. "We can put Jones or Crawford on it just as easily. Don't worry about it, honey."

After taking the next 10 minutes to cry to her boss, Summer excused herself to go to the bathroom. She splashed her face with cold water, blotted it dry with paper towels, and reapplied her foundation and mascara. She stood staring deeply at herself in the mirror for several seconds. Finally, she took a deep breath, gave herself one final glance, knowing what she had to do, and headed back towards Charlotte's office.

Leaning into the doorway, she stated dryly, "I hope you got me a first class ticket. At least the booze are free," and headed back to her apartment to pack for what would be a very long trip.


	2. Returning Home

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Two: Returning Home

Summer sat staring out the window of the plane as she heard the pilot announce the plane's final descent into Los Angeles. As she looked down upon the familiar landmarks from growing up in Orange County, she felt a wave of sadness overcome her as she remembered how much had changed since the last time she was in California.

_After neither Seth nor Summer was accepted to Brown University that year, the two decided to stick with the idea of moving to the east coast, and both were accepted and rewarded full scholarships to New York University. _

_On their final day of life in Orange County before heading east for school, the two went to their favorite spot on the beach and sat, gazing at the stars. _

"_I can't believe this is finally over," Summer sighed, breaking the silence her and Seth had maintained for an uncharacteristic 30 minutes. Seth scooted closer and pulled her to him with his arm around her shoulder. _

"_I know what you mean. I mean, as much as I've always wanted to get out of this place, there's part of me that will always love it. I guess mostly because it's where I found you," Seth said softly, staring out into the vast ocean. _

_Summer and Seth continued to sit quietly on the beach in each other's arms for the next few hours. The next morning, the two left California headed towards New York under the pretense of taking the first steps in their new lives together._

Summer shook herself out of her reverie, as she realized that the plane was almost completely empty and the flight attendant was asking her to exit the plane. Summer grabbed her bags and headed for the luggage carousel.

After getting all of her bags and finding the driver that the magazine had hired for her, Summer got into the limo that was headed for the Beverly Hills Hotel. She dug through her bag to find her D&G sunglasses to help shield the 4 p.m. California sun from her eyes.

As she arrived at the hotel, she quickly settled herself into her room and got out her computer to prepare herself for her work for the next few days. She called room service and ordered a bottle of Pinot Grigio, and after it was brought to her suite, she settled herself onto the balcony with her laptop, making notes and watching the sunset.

The first interview to take place was tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. at the office building of O.S. Comics with the one and only, her one and only, Seth Cohen. As she tried to formulate a list of questions to ask Seth, she couldn't help but think back to the day it all fell apart, or more accurately, the day that she fell apart. It was February 14, 2007, exactly 3 years after she and Seth got together for the first time.

_Summer and Seth had completed their first semester together at NYU, and everything had been running pretty smoothly. Seth had declared his major as Visual Arts with an emphasis on graphic novel production through the Gallatin Center for individualized studies, where he was allowed to design his own program so that he could work in time to take on the_ Atomic County _project._

_Summer, after much contemplation, decided to apply her flair for fashion and witty commentary towards a degree in Magazine Journalism. The two had lived in the dorms for the first semester, but after a couple incidents with weird roommates, they decided to look for a small studio flat in Greenwich Village where they could live together._

_During Christmukkah break, they had found the perfect place, and Marissa and Ryan had made the trip to New York to help them move in and get organized. Everything was going smoothly with Seth and Summer, and it seemed like they had never been more in love with each other. _

_Seth would come home later than Summer most nights, as his studio art classes tended to run later, and Summer would enjoy having a meal prepared for the two of them to eat together every night. After dinner, they would draw up a bath in their old school claw-foot bathtub, and sit, rehashing the day for the other and just being together._

_Everything was perfect. That is, until mid-January when Seth found a new opportunity to pitch _Atomic County _to a new company. Seth had met a girl in some of his studio classes that was going to help him make his pitch go more smoothly than the disastrous incident of Junior Year. As time for the pitch came closer, Seth had many sleepless nights, and would often spend entire nights in the studio with his partner, Meredith, trying to make everything perfect._

_During this time, things were hard for Summer. She got the idea in her head that everything was going to be exactly like it had been Junior Year with Reid. Seth did everything he could to convince Summer otherwise, but she was Summer. Once she got an idea in her head, she stuck with it to the grave. _

_Seth took off from his pitch on Valentine's Day to treat Summer to a romantic evening in Manhattan, though his meeting was only 10 days away. He bought tickets for Summer and him to go to _Rent _and reserved a private room for the two at their favorite Thai restaurant around the corner. _

_He bought a ring, too. He hadn't really decided what the ring meant, whether it was more on the side of a promise ring or an engagement ring, but he wanted to quiet Summer's worries once and for all, and to show her how truly committed he was to her. _

_After the play, the two sat across from each other eating dinner. The evening seemed to be going ok on the surface, but Seth could tell that something was bothering Summer. _

"_How's the Pad Thai tonight, My little Valentine?" he asked, trying to initiate a conversation. _

"_It's good," she replied shortly, refusing to make eye contact. Seth dropped his forked, and reached across the table to grab Summer's hand, forcing her to do the same thing. _

"_Baby, it's Valentine's Day. It's kind of like our third anniversary. I know by now when something is bothering you. Will you please. Just. Tell me?" Seth pleaded. The burning of his gaze forced Summer to look up from her plate, and tears swelled in her eyes. Seth, seeing this, quickly stood up and went to sit next to her. As he wrapped his arms around her, she stiffened and pushed away, so she could look him directly in the face._

"_Seth, I don't know how to say this to you, but I need to say it. Ever since this graphic novel business has started back up, you've been away more. And then there's Meredith. And as much as I try to convince myself that nothing is going on, it's so hard. I lay in bed most nights these days, just wondering when or if you're going to come home, and so many times, I've been left. Let down. Lonely," Summer paused. "I would never ask you to choose between me and the comic book, but just so you know, lately, I feel like I'm second string in your life. And now that I think about it, I've kind of always been. I mean, first it was Anna, then Ryan and the Tahiti incident, then Reid and the comic disaster of 2005, and now, it's Meredith and the comic separation of 2007. I can't keep doing this, Seth. I can't keep doing this when you mean EVERYTHING to me, and I don't to you."_

_As Summer finished Seth finally closed his mouth which had fell slack after she had completed the sentence with "And then there's Meredith." Now, he felt the hot burning of tears welling up and clouding his vision and didn't know what to do. For once, Seth Cohen was rendered completely speechless._

"_Summer, I don't know what to say."_

"_Seth, just don't say anything. I don't want your explanations anymore. You can always explain everything, but I just can't hear it anymore. It's like every time I feel like we're finally getting somewhere in our relationship another Reid or Anna or comic book comes along, and we're right back to the beginning-"_

"_But we're not, Summer!" Seth exclaimed, apparently a little louder than he intended as the wait staff all stopped what they were doing to look. Lowering his voice, Seth started over. "Summer, when I first 'fell in love with you,' I was ten. I saw you as the ideal woman, but I didn't even know you. Since we've dated, you've surpassed any ideal or any dream I've ever had. I'm not in love with the idea anymore, I'm in love with the person. And I can't live without that person."_

_Summer had to rip her gaze away from Seth. She knew that he was right, she KNEW that he loved her, she knew that he would throw out the comic book for her, because he'd done it in the past. But the insecurities she'd had since her mother left and her father basically abandoned her throughout high school arose, and she'd made up her mind before tonight that she loved Seth too much to let him do it to her, too. And she had to stick with it._

"_Seth," she said, reaching out to touch his cheek. "I love you, I do. But I can't be with you anymore." At that, Seth breath caught in his throat, he quickly put his head in his hands, trying to remember how to breathe. _

"_Summer, please don't. Please. I'll throw away the comic book if that's what you want. I'll do anything. I need you. We're…we're…undeniable," he trailed off. Not being able to stand anymore before she would completely change her mind and throw herself into his arms, Summer rose from the table and put on her coat._

_Seth looked up at her unable to believe what he was seeing: she was walking away from him. He quickly rose and grabbed her arm, pulling her to him. As he clung onto her for dear life, he could physically feel his heart breaking, he could feel his life slipping away from him. As he breathed in her scent for the last time, he reached into his pocket and took out a small _Tiffany's _box. _

"_I want you to have this," he said, pressing it into her hand. "I know that you've already made up your mind, but I love you, and I want you to have this. Summer, I want you to know that I'll never move on, I can't. You have my whole heart, and you always will. When you're ready, I'll be waiting." Seth placed one final kiss on her forehead, each cheek, finally landing on her mouth._

_Summer quickly pulled away, unable to take anymore. She quietly raised her hand, mouthed a "goodbye," and ran out of the restaurant before Seth could see her breakdown._

A now very drunk Summer Roberts lay on the couch in her suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel with two empty bottles of wine next to her and a little blue box resting on her stomach. She couldn't remember a time in her life that she had ever been anywhere without it since the fateful night that it was given to her.

She took the ring out of the box, and played with it, placing it on and off her left hand, twirling it around her finger. The ring was an open ring that bent around her finger and ended in two small hearts. Each had a small diamond imbedded in it. Even to this day, she wondered Seth's intentions behind the ring. Was it a promise ring? Was it an engagement ring? She was left to wonder, because she hadn't spoken to Seth since the day that they broke up. The only things that she knew about him were things she read on the Internet or heard from Marissa and Ryan.

She knew that after they broke up Seth had dropped out of NYU for the rest of the year and had moved to L.A. to attend the Los Angeles Institute of Art. After his undergraduate work, he earned his M.B.A. at UCLA and started O.S. Comics. The first edition of _Atomic County _rolled off the shelves in 2012, and now in 2013, it was the best-selling comic of all time. Summer would know, seeing as she read every issue.

Still contemplating Seth's intentions behind the ring, Summer felt herself drifting off to sleep. She rose and crossed the room to her bed, and quickly fell asleep with Seth's ring on her left hand.

What will happen next? How will the meeting be between Seth and Summer? Will it dredge up a rocky past or remind them both of what they're missing?


	3. The Interview, Part 1

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Three: The Interview, Part 1

Summer woke up at 7 the next morning to begin to physically and mentally prepare for her meeting with Seth. After hitting up the nearest Starbucks, she headed down to the beach and walked for a while, occasionally taking stops to admire the ocean and reflect on how much she had missed California.

After an hour and a half on the beach, she headed up to her suite and began getting ready. She tried on at least 10 outfits before finally resting on a clean white blouse, some black gauchos, and of course, her never-fails knee-high Manolos. She took her time on her hair, making sure that every wave was in place and convincing herself that she wasn't wearing it down just because Seth liked it best that way.

Taking a final look at her interview notes and packing them into her red leather briefcase, Summer phoned the driver to let him know that she was ready to leave.

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Meanwhile, at the O.S. Comics building, Seth sat in his office looking over some final pages of the latest issue of _Atomic County, _which was set to be released the following Wednesday. He glanced up as his secretary, Beverly, entered his office.

"Good morning, Bev. And to what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked, grinning widely at her in greeting.

"Good morning, Mr. Cohen. I was just reminding you of your 11 o'clock appointment with the reporter from Cosmopolitan magazine. Would you like me to send her in here, or in another conference room?" his secretary asked.

"I think here should be fine. What did you say they were coming for again?"

"The editor said that you have been selected as one of the most eligible bachelors on the west coast, and they want to run a profile about you and the company in their 'All About Men' issue."

Seth smirked. "Never in my life could I have fathomed being selected as one of the most eligible bachelors by a leading women's magazine. I've kind of always just been the geeky emo comic book guy."

Bev giggled at this. "Mr. Cohen, I think it's safe to say that you still are. You just happen to make a lot of money doing it now." The two shared a laugh as Beverly walked out of the office.

Seth stood and looked out his window and at the ocean. Although he had outwardly joked about it, he didn't know how he felt about being named an eligible bachelor. Though he was technically single, his heart did still belong to a certain brown-haired brown-eyed girl that had left him 6 years earlier.

At that thought Seth walked over to a shelf that housed several of his favorite photos. There was one of the "Fantastic Four" eating at their favorite diner during Senior Year that their favorite waitress, Debbie, had taken. There was one of him and Ryan opening Christmukkah presents last year, taken by his mom. There was Summer's senior picture, a black and white photo of her with the ocean in the background and her long hair being blown back by the wind.

And then there was his favorite one. It had been taken by his mom at the surprise birthday party he had thrown for Summer the summer before they had left for college. It was a close up of him and her feeding each other cake, or pushing it in each other's face, with ear-to-ear grins on their faces, dimples fully exposed. Seth sighed as he remembered all the good times that they shared and how bad his heart had been broken when she had left him on their anniversary.

Captivated by the photos and the memories, Seth didn't notice Bev enter the office, followed closely behind by the very object of his thoughts and affections. Bev cleared her throat to get his attention, and as he turned around he could hardly believe his eyes.

"Cohen," Summer greeted, barely above a whisper, as her eyes locked with his, unable to move. Seth stood slack-jawed, unable to speak. The two stared at each other for what seemed like forever, until Beverly spoke.

"Mr. Cohen, this is-" Bev began.

"Summer Roberts. I know. Bev, I think I can manage from here," Seth said, throwing a brief smile in her direction and dismissing her. Seth and Summer both watched as the secretary left, and then turned back to one another. After a long silence, Seth finally spoke. OR rambled.

"So Summer, uh, uh, it's, it's good to see you. So you're working for Cosmo now, huh? Who would've thought?" Laugh. "So uh, would you like to sit down? Let's see, we have uh, uh a couch over there, yeah. Or you could, you know sit over by the desk, and I could sit behind it, I don't know what degree of professionalism you'd like to maintain." Breath. "So how've you been anyway? I mean, you look great. Not that I'm surprised by any means, but yeah. So NYU. I'm assuming you stayed there and-" Seth stopped as Summer was no longer able to contain her giggles.

"Whoa there, buddy. You might own your own company now, and be a big bad business man, but you still have quite the ability to dish out a long-winded ramble," Summer said between laughs, causing Seth to join in with her. Summer moved towards the leather couch on the other side of Seth's office and motioned for him to join her.

"Hi Summer," Seth said, really taking her in for the first time. No matter how long he'd known her or how much older they got, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Though she dressed more conservatively these days, it was not hard to see that she kept her body in the same shape she had been in during their days at Harbor. Her beautiful coffee-colored locks fell in loose waves down her back, the same style that Seth had always loved, and though she lived in a cooler climate, her skin still had the same perfect complexion and tan glow that had always given him butterflies.

"Hi Cohen," Summer smiled, causing him to flash his gorgeous dimples. She couldn't believe the effect that they still had on her, even after all the time that had passed. She took a moment to observe his appearance.

Though he, too, dressed more conservatively now, he was still her Cohen. He wore a black pin-striped suit with classic black Chucks and a Death Cab shirt underneath. His Jew-fro was grown out to the perfect length in her eyes- long enough to see the curls, but short enough that it stayed off of his forehead. Summer, lost in soaking in the man before her, was taken away from her thoughts by the sound of Seth's voice.

"So, I'm one of the most eligible bachelors on the west coast, huh?" Seth laughed.

"That's what my boss told me," Summer said, humor in her voice. "And you're in some interesting company. Two people that you might have heard of? Zach Stevens and Ryan Atwood?"

Seth looked at Summer amusement evident in his eyes. "You can't be serious?"

"It's funny, that's what I thought when my boss pitched this assignment to me, but sure enough."

"So, I assume you have some questions prepared for me, Ms. Roberts?"

"I do, I do. First of all, you have a pretty nice set up for yourself here, Mr. Cohen," Summer mocked, glancing around the office. Her eyes fell on some pictures across the office on a shelf, and she rose to move around the office, clicking her tape recorder on in the process. Seth, seeing where she was headed, ran ahead of her and flipped down his pictures.

"Yes, actually. I'm really proud of this place. My brother and I worked together to design it, and then his company, Atwood and Associates, built it for me. I wanted to make sure I had an ocean view and a corner office with lots of windows. Staring at the ocean gets me through a lot of days and a lot of writer's block," Seth said as he crossed to stare out the window.

"Ok, so as I know, you started the idea for your comic book in high school. How did you come up with the idea initially, and what has kept the project fresh and current for modern teens, seeing as you came up with the idea almost 10 years ago?" Summer questioned.

"Well, my inspiration for the comic book was the real Little Miss Vixen. A girl that I've been in love with since I was ten," Seth paused for a second and looked at Summer, making sure that she caught tense in which he said that. "Anyway, I'm obviously the Ironist, and the book just kind of highlights some of the things I went through growing up in high school, both before, during and after I dated Little Miss Vixen. The main focus, of course, is the trials and tribulations faced by the Ironist and Little Miss Vixen, in addition to some friend drama, which comes into play with the addition of Kid Chino and Cosmo Girl." Seth took another pause.

"As for keeping the material fresh, I think there are just issues that teens face that always have and always will transcend time. We all can relate to the first time we fell in love," Seth caught Summer's eyes and held them as he continued, "or the first time we had sex. Or the first time we got wasted, or the first time we lost a loved one, and we've all encountered bullies like the Demon Water Polo Players. So I think that the reason it is so big to kids in modern times is, because they can relate to my experiences." Seth paused and smiled. "And whenever I run out of good ideas, I always have a lot of 90210 and Valley episodes in my DVD collection to give me inspiration."

Summer smiled at his answer. "You're telling me that you, Seth Cohen, emo geek extraordinaire, bought the Valley?"

Seth grinned, sheepishly. "What can I say? That stuff is deep, Summer." The two shared a laugh.

"Anyway, next question. Why has a guy like you, I mean, someone who's an attractive, artist, writer and entrepreneur, remained single for so long?"

"Well, as I said I've been in love with the real Little Miss Vixen since I was ten, and I guess I've never really looked for anyone else," Seth looked up trying to gage Summer's reaction. She was looking down, so he continued. "Upon urging from my family and friends, I have met for drinks or dinners occasionally over the last few years, but nothing has ever gone passed date number one. Yes, I, Seth Cohen, one of Cosmo's most eligible bachelors, have not been kissed for 6 years since you, Summer Roberts, walked out of my life."

As Seth finished, Summer looked up and their eyes locked. Seth crossed the room and put his hand on Summer's cheek. She looked up at him with wide brown eyes, unsure of what to do. She unconsciously clicked the stop button on the recorder and set it down on the end table next to her. As she drew her arm back to her side where she stood in front of Seth, he caught her hand and brought it up between their faces.

"I have to say, I was surprised, but don't think I didn't notice it when you first walked in," he said, referring to the ring that Summer bore on her left ring finger. The one she had forgotten to take off the night before.


	4. The Interview, Part 2

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Three: The Interview, Part 2

"I have to say, I was surprised, but don't think I didn't notice it when you first walked in," he said, referring to the ring that Summer bore on her left ring finger. The one she had forgotten to take off the night before.

Summer, unsure of what to do, pulled back from Seth and picked up her recorder again. "Mr. Cohen, we're not finished with our interview yet. I still have some more questions for you." Knowing that she couldn't avoid the topic forever and that he could make her return to it later, Seth accepted Summer's denial and absently nodded his head. "So, O.S. Comics. Interesting name. Would you like to tell our readers the story behind it?"

"Sure. It actually stands for Oats Sparkles Comics, which might sound pretty random, but it reminds me of the way that Little Miss Vixen and the Ironist are fated to be together. You see, when I was young, my parents gave me a toy plastic horse. I named him Captain Oats. He became my best friend, as I was kind of a loner when I was young, and I still have him to this day," Seth said, crossing the room to his desk and picking up the Captain. "So, anyway, the first time that Little Miss Vixen and I started dating, I went into her room and found a purple My Little Pony on her dresser. It turns out that she also had a best friend in a toy plastic horse that she called Princess Sparkles. So, being the matchmakers that we are, we introduced the two horses, and Oats and Sparkles really hit it off. The rest, as they say, is history."

Summer couldn't help but smile at Seth after that answer. To be honest, she had already made that conjecture when she first heard the company name, but was satisfied to find out she was right. "That's pretty cute, Cohen. I'm not gonna lie."

She crossed back towards him and took the Captain from his hands, saying hi. She then went to where her briefcase sat and pulled out Princess Sparkles. Seth looked on, smiling, as Summer positioned the two on the coffee table facing one another. Looking back at Seth, she spoke. "I had a feeling that I'd see the Captain today, and I know that they haven't seen each other in a long time, so I thought they might have some catching up to do." Seth looked deeply into Summer's eyes, but she looked down to her notes and shook her head. "Ok, so back to the interview. What things make a woman attractive to you?"

"Well," Seth began, unsure of what to say. "Ok, they have to be this perfect combination of sweet and sassy. I like women that are very witty. I like to consider myself a pretty witty and sarcastic guy, but I like a girl that challenges my sarcasm, and dishes back what I'm giving out. I like women that are intelligent and passionate. Ones that know how to have fun but how to be serious. They need to have a perfect balance of vim and vigor," Seth looked up trying to catch Summer's distant gaze. "But so far, I've only met one woman that's had all of these qualities, and she's too far into denial about how bad she wants to me to take our relationship to the next level."

"Cohen, you are seriously delusional. Just because I'm wearing the ring that you happened to give me on our third anniversary and the night that we broke up, doesn't mean that I want you," Summer raged. Seth just smirked, infuriating her more. "I suggest you wipe that smug ass grin off your face before I go into full rage blackout mode!"

Seth raised his hands in surrender and his smile softened. "That's exactly the girl that I'm talking about." Summer's eyes softened at this, and she felt her heart melting. She clicked her recorder off for the second time.

"Cohen, I will say this. I really have missed you," She said softly. She crossed the room to where he stood with his hands in his pockets and reached her arms out to give him a hug. Seth was too shocked at Summer's instant shift from rage blackout mode to sweetheart mode to react. After a second, he let his arms fall into a natural position around her waist.

"I've missed you, too, Summer. Not a day goes by that I don't miss you. I still can't help but to wonder how we went from being in a happy cohabiting relationship to zero contact in six years in what seemed like a day," Seth said, voice full of emotion. He took her tiny hand in his, running his thumb over the ring. "That night- I still have nightmares about it, and I always wake up hoping that it didn't really happen like that. But it did." Seth took Summer's hand and continued the conversation over on the couch.

"Summer, I know things were really hard right before the pitch. I was really stressed out about everything that was going on with the comic and the toll it was taking on our relationship, but to this day, I can still assure you that nothing EVER happened with Meredith. Actually, I haven't been in contact with her since the night we broke up accept to tell her that I was throwing away the comic book pitch." Seth looked up and saw what he thought was trust in Summer's eyes. It seemed that she was actually believing what he was saying. "Summer, you were never second string. You have to know that."

"Seth, I don't think I ever really doubted you," Summer stated softly, admitting it for the first time to Seth as well as herself. Summer stared at the floor for a moment, seemingly deep in concentration. After opening her mouth and closing it again several times, Seth spoke.

"If you have something to tell me Summer, you can say it. No matter what it is," he said, trying to figuring out what she was thinking.

After a moment's hesitation, she finally started. "It's just, ever since that night, I've always been wondering something. I mean, I left before I really gave you a chance to explain, so it's kind of been up in the air since then." She paused. "What were your intentions when you gave me this?" She asked, raising the ring in the air.

Seth was now the one searching for the right words. Summer had asked him the question that he had never really answered himself. "I guess I just wanted to give you something to assure you that there was not going to be another Tahiti or Anna or Reid. When I bought it, I thought about making it a promise ring or an engagement ring, but more than anything, I just wanted to assure you of my commitment to you." Seth sighed. "The funny part is, even though we haven't seen each other or spoken to each other in 6 years, I haven't broken the commitment that I wanted to give you with the ring." Seth looked up and caught Summer's eyes.

As Summer looked into Seth's eyes and thought about the passed six years without him, her eyes welled up with tears. She was finally acknowledging and coming to terms with the magnitude of the error she had made years earlier. She was at a loss for words, but she communicated her regret to Seth with her eyes.

"Listen," Seth said after a few minutes, "I know that we've already completed our interview and everything, but I think that it's needless to say we have a lot of catching up to do. Do you have any plans for tonight?"

Summer closed her eyes for a moment, blinking away all of the emotions that had just come up and reopened them with a smile on her face. "Well, I do have a pretty badass hotel room, and I was just planning on ordering a bottle of wine tonight and watching cheesy movies. Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking that we could hang out, you know. I mean, I don't want to put any pressure on you or anything, but it could just be fun. I mean, there's so many things to see and do in LA and know you haven't been out to California in a really long time, but if you just want to hang out in your 'badass' room, then I completely understand, but I just thought-"

"Cohen!" Summer said, cutting him off before his ramble went too much farther. "I would love to hang out. Really."

"Great. Then I'll pick you up at say, 7?" Seth proposed, flashing her his dimples.

"Sounds like a d..plan," Summer replied, awkwardly. She quickly gathered her things and said goodbye as she walked out of the office, grinning ear-to-ear.

She walked passed the secretary, giving her thanks, and to the elevator, still unable to wipe the smile off of her face. As the elevator doors opened, she walked in, not noticing a woman coming out and bumping into her, dropping her things all over the floor.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying any attention and-"

"Summer Roberts!" The voice said. Summer looked up and was met with a face she hadn't seen since Sophomore year at Harbor.

"Anna?"

**A/N Sorry that this wasn't the best chapter. Oh, and thank you, everyone for the fabulous reviews so far. I'm thrilled that you're enjoying the story so much. I will take your comments and criticisms into careful consideration. For all of you Sethummers, don't worry, it won't be sad forever. But there has to be some drama, right? Peace.**


	5. Old Habits Die Hard

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Five: Old Habits die Hard

"Anna?" Summer said, surprised to be bumping into her in Cohen's office.

"Hi, Summer. It's, well, very surprising to see you here," the blonde replied with a too sweet smile on her face.

"Yeah. I was just thinking the same thing about you," Summer said, trying to figure out what Anna WAS doing in Cohen's office building. Before her wonderings could get any farther, she heard the voice of Cohen behind her.

"Summer! You almost forgot Pr-hey, Anna. I was wondering when you were coming in today," Seth said, realizing the awkwardness of Summer and Anna being in the same place at the same time, even though their love triangle had been non-existent for almost 8 years.

"I know I should have called, but I had a late night last night going over the proofs for the next issue, and I over-slept my alarm."

"Wait, you work here, too?" Summer asked, her curiosity rising by the second.

"Yes, actually. Shortly after I graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago, I saw a job posting on the Internet for a new comic book company, and when I came in for the interview, it was Seth's. I'm actually Vice President now," Anna state proudly.

"Wow, that's great," Summer said, trying to mask the disappointment in her tone from finding out that Seth had been collaborating with Anna.

"So, how have you been, Summer? What are you doing these days?"

"Actually, I'm a reporter for Cosmo. I got assigned to a story for our 'All About Men' issue where I'd be interviewing and profiling the most eligible bachelors on the west coast, and you can imagine my shock when my editor said they were Seth Cohen, Ryan Atwood and Zach Stevens."

"That is, well, pretty funny," Anna said. Summer watched as Anna's eyes caught the ring on her finger. "So, I see that you're engaged or married?"

"Um, actually, neither," Summer answered, stealing a quick glance at Seth. "It's just a ring I've had for a long time. How about you? Are you seeing anyone?"

"No, no I'm not. I haven't had a serious boyfriend in a REALLY long time," she replied, also stealing a glance in Seth's direction. Feeling the tension and awkwardness rising, Seth finally cut into the girls' conversation.

"Well, Summer, I chased you out here, because you forgot Princess Sparkles, and I know how you get when she's not with you," Seth smiled. Summer looked up into his eyes and reached for her toy horse.

"Thanks, Cohen. I would've been freaking out back at the hotel," Summer said, still holding his gaze. After about 30 seconds, she broke his gaze and placed Princess Sparkles in her bag. "So I guess I'll see you tonight?"

"Yes, and I can't wait," Seth said as Anna shot daggers towards both he and Summer. She cleared her throat. "Well, I guess the VP and I have a lot of work to get done yet today, so until then."

"Until then," Summer said as she stepped onto the elevator. Seth watched until the doors were completely closed and then turned to a seemingly pissed off Anna.

"Seth! What was she doing here?"

"Um, I would've thought that that was made clear when she said she was interviewing me for a piece for the magazine at which she works?" Seth replied sarcastically.

"Ugh! You know what I mean. Do you not remember that she is the girl that broke your heart? The reason you've been alone for, oh, 6 years? The reason that you're an insomniac? The reason that you went through 1 year of extensive therapy?"

"Anna, as much as I like being reminded of all of that, let's not do this. I know that you're not exactly Summer's number one fan, but I pretty much am. I know that she's hurt me in the past, but believe me when I say, I hurt her more than my fair share of times in the past, too. I'm just happy that she's back in my life again, in any capacity, and the fact that one of my best friends is not supportive of that kind of sucks," Seth said, clearly annoyed with Anna's attitude towards Summer. "Anyway, we do have some deadlines to take into consideration right now, so why don't we quit talking about this and be productive?"

"Sure thing, boss," Anna replied with an extreme lack of enthusiasm.

Summer could not believe that Anna worked for Seth. As she left the O.S. building, she felt completely freaked out by the whole thing. It was obvious to her that Anna was still very attached to Seth, and judging by the death glares that Anna had shot her when Seth came to return Princess Sparkles, she was none too happy that Summer was back in town.

Summer dug through her purse for her sunglasses and cell phone and paged through her contacts list for Marissa's number.

"Coop?...It's good to hear your voice, too…Yeah, I'm in LA…You'll never guess who I just interviewed…Ok, either Cohen talked to Ryan who talked to you, or you are a psychic…haha, funny…Lunch?...Crab Shack?...Ok, give me about an hour…bu-bye."

After instructing the driver to the pier in Newport, Summer leaned back against the neck rest and closed her eyes, happy to be on her way to a vent session with her best friend who she hadn't physically seen in over a year.

"So he still seems totally into you?" Marissa questioned with giddiness in her voice after Summer had given her the unabridged story of her visit to Seth's office.

"It was like when we looked into each other's eyes, I mean, really looked, it felt like nothing had changed, and there was still so much feeling between us," Summer responded, clearly off in her own land.

"So what about Anna? Did it seem like there was something going on between them?"

Summer frowned slightly. "Well, she said she wasn't dating anyone. But let me tell you, I felt like I was burning under the gaze that she was giving me when Seth and I were having our little moment by the elevator." Summer paused and looked down. "When it was just him and me in his office, I felt like we had a lot of work to do where any type of relationship was concerned, but I could seriously see this trip being all about reconciliation. Seeing Anna though, it just made me realize that there are going to be a lot of obstacles. You can't just be away from someone for 6 years and not expect a lot to have changed. I just, I just HATE more than anything that she's been in his life and I haven't, ya know?"

Marissa, who'd been listening intently, nodded to her friend and covered Summer's hand with her own, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Summer, I know that things are going to be difficult with Seth, even if all you want is a friendship, but take it from someone who's been around Seth for all of the time that you haven't: The boy is in love with YOU. And ONLY you. Ryan and I have set him up with a countless variety of women over the years, and he hasn't even come away with a kiss or a second date. Not once."

Marissa stared until Summer looked up before she finished. "Sum, whether you want to admit it or not, it was your insecurities, insecurities like THESE, that you're having about Anna right now that caused you to push Seth away in the first place. When you get a second chance like you have right now, you can't afford to make the same mistakes."

Summer looked up at her best friend and nodded, knowing that she was right. "Coop, everything you've said, I know. It's just hard sometimes. Hard to know how much I've missed and how much it is my fault. But no matter what, I am still hardwired to have these types of insecurities. I'm glad to have someone like you, to remind me when I'm making a mistake that I'll regret. I wish you could have been there 6 years ago."

Feeling herself being overcome by tears and emotions, Summer quickly cast her gaze downward again, in an attempt to conceal her face from her friend's concerned eyes. As she looked downward, she noticed a series of light reflections moving around on the table, in time with the way that Marissa's hand rubbed hers. Slowly, she drew her gaze upward and gasped at what she saw.

"When were you going to tell me about this!" Summer exclaimed, grabbing her friend's left hand and taking a moment to admire the 2 carat rock that rested on it.

"Well, it only happened last night. I was just waiting for you to get done venting, so I could slip it into the conversation," Marissa said, now posing her hand out proudly.

"So don't you have something to ask me?" Summer hinted with a smile on her face.

"Of course I do. Ahem. Summer, will you be my maid of honor when I become Mrs. Ryan Atwood!"

Summer flashed Marissa a smirk. "I thought you'd never ask, my dear." The two girls erupted into a fit of giggles and left the restaurant, Summer planning Marissa's bachelorette party as they walked along.

**A/N There's a hint of some Ryrissa for all of those that have been asking for it. Thanks again for the feedback and I hope to have another few chapters out tomorrow. Peace.**


	6. Spreading the News

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Six: Spreading the Word

After Summer and Marissa left the crab shack at around 3 p.m., the two decided to take a stroll down the beach. Eventually they found a quiet spot and sat in a comfortable silence with one another staring at the ocean. Summer was wrapped up in thoughts of her best friend's wedding and her d…well, her scheduled 'hang' with Cohen that night. Suddenly, a thought crossed Summer's mind, causing her to burst out into laughter.

"What?" Marissa said, glancing over at her now hysterical friend. After Summer finished her laugh attack, she looked at Marissa, an amused smile entertaining her features.

"Coop? I can't believe I didn't think of this before. I guess I've been too wrapped up in the excitement of everything. Do you remember why I'm here?"

"Sure. To interview Seth, Ryan, and Zach for the most eligible bachelors story," Marissa replied, apparently not quite catching Summer's line of thinking.

"I see a couple of concerns here. 1) I have plans tonight with one of them, who happens to be the love of my life, whose 'eligibility' I wouldn't mind taking away eventually, and 2) One of the two left on the list when you take away Cohen happened to propose to my best friend last night."

"Ohhhh," Marissa squeezed out, before starting up another fit of hysterical laughter with Summer. After a few minutes the laughing ceased, and Summer seemed to get quite serious.

"What am I going to do, Coop? The editor didn't hold back before I left on reminding me that this is a huge feature story, and a pretty big deal at that. How do I tell her that I can't write it?"

"Well, Sum, from the way you talk about her, Charlotte seems to be a pretty understanding lady. I'm sure she'd rather see you happy with a boy that you love than giving her a great story. And she can't really blame you about the Ryan thing. I mean, you're the first person I told, so there's literally NO way you could have foreseen it." When Marissa finished Summer sat silently, nodding knowingly at the things her friend said.

"I guess I'll call her right away to tell her the truth. I mean, it's only," Summer paused looking down at her watch, which was still set to east coast time," 9 o'clock in New York. She'll still be awake." The two friends got up and began walking back towards the pier. Summer suddenly stopped. "Shit, Coop! If it's 9 o'clock in New York, that means it's 5 here! I have two hours to get back to LA in RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC before I meet Cohen for our date at 7!" Summer suddenly started running for the limo that her driver waited in, grabbing Marissa's hand as she flew by.

"Dude, you wouldn't believe how hot she looked, too. I mean, seriously, the way her long hair just fell in waves around her shoulders, and the way that her 'professional' work wear hugged her in all the right places. My imagination was having a field day when she slipped into reporter mode, asking me questions all sexy-like and-" Seth was abruptly cut off by his brother who sat at his desk looking over floor plans.

"Seth, as much as I love and have missed these Summer chats, you're taking it a little too far when you start telling me how bad you wanted to taker her in your office," Ryan said with amusement. "But seriously, it's great that you're going to see her tonight. What do you have planned?"

"Well, I was thinking maybe dinner, a moonlit walk on the beach, but that might be a little too cliché. This is Summer. It has to be perfect. I guess I could take her out on the yacht. Do you think it would be weird when she realizes I named my boat after her? Again?"

"Seth. It's Summer. If she doesn't know by now that she's the girl of your dreams, then she's really been living under a rock." The two sat silent for a moment.

"So, what have you been up to, buddy? I feel like I've been sitting her rambling on about Summer for the last two hours, and you've hardly said a thing," Seth said, trying to distract himself from the fact that he still had no idea what to do with Summer that evening.

"You have. And actually, I kind of have some big news." Seth looked on expectantly. "Last night, I proposed to Marissa," Ryan finished with a small smile playing on his lips.

"You what!" Seth said, shock evident in his voice. "I've been here for two hours, and you just now found it, I don't know, important to mention this to me. Geez, Ryan. I thought I trained you better than that. Oh my Jesus and Moses. So I assume she said yes? And how long have you been planning this!"

"She did. And I guess I've always been planning it. I just finally found the ring and the time felt right. I love her, man," Ryan replied softly.

"This is so great! I mean, it couldn't be better. I assume I'll be your best man, unless you want your real brother, which would kind of be awkward since your future wife shot him in the back so that he wouldn't kill you and you haven't spoken to him since," Ryan shot Seth 'the Look' at this comment. "Right. So, Summer's probably going to be Marissa's maid of honor. Oh man, this couldn't be better. I mean, can you see it? Me, Summer, walking down the aisle together, swallowed up in the romantic atmosphere of a wedding and-"

"And we're back to you and Summer again."

"Sorry, man, but this is so exciting! A wedding! Have you told Mom and Dad yet? Oh, I bet Mom cried, didn't she?"

"I haven't told them yet, Seth," Ryan looked serious. "We're planning on keeping this under wraps until the weekend, and then Marissa and I are going to go to Newport to tell our families together, so if you could try to actually keep the secret this time, it would be much appreciated." The two boys fell silent again, until Seth burst into laughter. "What?" Ryan asked pulling 'the Look' out again.

"Well, first of all, this is so great, because Julie Cooper is going to be your mother-in-law finally. I mean, you'll ACTUALLY be related this time," Seth laughed out, being silenced by Ryan's glare. "But secondly, Summer came to LA to write about the most eligible bachelors on the west coast, one of whom she'll be on a date with tonight and two of whom has just proposed to her best friend." At this, Ryan broke into a smile, realizing the irony of which Seth spoke.

Looking at the clock which read 5 o'clock, Seth suddenly felt very nervous. "Crap, Ryan. I have a date. I have to get changed and ready. I have to make plans. What am I going to do? This has to be perfect. I'm hoping for at least some kind of reconciliation between me and Summer, preferably one where we end up in each other's-" Seth stopped. "Right. I won't share the details. Ok, so I have to go now, but later, we'll talk bachelor parties. I'm thinking Vegas?"

Seth looked back to see his fifth glare of the day from Ryan and laughed his way out of the office to prepare for his date with Summer.

Summer finally stepped out of her limo at 6:30. She had spoken with her editor on the ride back from Newport and told her the new 'statuses' of two of the bachelors on the list. Charlotte, who was a bit disappointed but excited about Summer's date with Seth, assured Summer that everything would be ok. Summer was to go through with her interview with Zach two days later, and the magazine would book her hotel for the next week, which would give their reporters time to compile a new list of bachelor prospects for Summer to interview.

Summer hurried up to her sixth floor room and entered, running immediately to her suitcase. She pulled all of her possible outfits out and changed seven times, throwing the no's in one pile and maybe's in another.

She finally came across a dress that she had snagged from a photo shoot at the magazine. It was an emerald green Chanel cocktail dress, which had been given to Cosmo for a shoot that they were doing with Lindsey Lohan. When the dress didn't quite fit her, Summer had managed to take it home for herself. It had a pretty low neckline, revealing just the right amount of cleavage, and a plunging line in the back that ended right above her tailbone.

After pulling it over head and smoothing out any wrinkles in the fabric, Summer turned to look at herself in the full length mirror.

"I look good," she said, smiling at her reflection. She continued dressing, topping the outfit off with her six inch gold Jimmy Choo sandals and a long gold multilayered necklace. With just three minutes to spare until Seth's scheduled arrival, she touched up the makeup that she had applied for her interview that morning, and spritzed her wrists, cleavage and neck with some Chanel No. 5.

Just as she stuffed her cellphone, breath mints, and room key into a matching gold clutch, the phone rang. It was the front desk telling her that a Mr. Cohen was here to see her. Summer told the desk clerk that she would be right down. Taking a deep breath and a final look in the mirror, she exited the hotel room heading for the elevator.

Seth waited nervously in the lobby of the Beverly Hills Hotel with one white lily clutched in his grip. Over the past two hours, he had decided that he would take Summer down to the pier for dinner, and then they would go for a small trip on his yacht.

As they would be dining at Bambino's, a nicer Italian restaurant, and he would have the most beautiful girl in the world on his arm, Seth decided to dress up slightly from his usual t-shirt and blazer. He wore black slacks and a long sleeve collared pink cotton shirt. He maintained that bit of Cohen by wearing Chucks, but he did go with the clean pair that he had set aside for nicer occasions.

Seth looked at his watch, and just before he was about to go to the front desk to make sure that they had placed in the call to Summer, a vision in green caught the corner of his eye.

As Seth turned his breath caught in his throat when he met the sight of Summer in a beautiful green silk dress with her long chocolate waves falling over her shoulders. As she got closer and closer, Seth couldn't help but take note of how perfect her tan legs looked and how the slinky material of the dress kindly defined all of her curves.

"Good evening, Mr. Cohen," Summer said, smiling coyly.

"Summer, uh, you look, yeah, wow, never in my days," Seth stuttered out.

"Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment," she chuckled back. Noticing the white flower in his hand, a soft smile graced her features and she tilted her head to the side.

"Oh, uh, this is for you. I, I know it's kind of cheesy or whatever, but uh, yeah, I remember that you like these and I thought-" Summer cut him off, reaching for the flower.

"I love it, Cohen. It's beautiful. And thoughtful."

Still in a daze from the sight before him, Seth shook his head, trying desperately to get back to reality. He finally closed his mouth and formed it into a smile. Reaching out, he offered Summer his arm. "Shall we?"

With a small laugh, Summer hooked her arm through Seth's and looked up at him. "We shall." And with that the two were off for their…well, date.

**A/N I had to delete and put this chapter back up, because I made a mistake with the time zones. It was stupid, I just wasn't thinking. Anyway, I know that there was a little confusion about how Ryan was engaged and still a bachelor, so I hope I cleared that up this chapter. I'm so glad to read that everyone is enjoying the story. It makes it a lot easier to type. Stay tuned for what happens on the date and on the interview with…duh, duh, DUUUUHHH…Zach. Peace.**


	7. The Date

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Seven: The Date

Though Seth had driven to the hotel, Summer insisted that the two make use of the driver that Cosmo was paying for, so the two rode the fifteen minutes to the restaurant in a pretty comfortable silence. Summer quickly walked to the front of the limo and told the driver a basic time frame for their date before joining Seth on the curb.

They strode arm in arm into the restaurant, where Seth asked the hosted he called Sammi for "his table in the back." After being led through the restaurant to a secluded patio, Seth and Summer sat down at the table facing each other.

"So, I take it you come here a lot?" Summer asked Seth, meeting his gaze for the first time since their greeting.

"You could say that. Ryan, Riss, and I tend to come out here at least once a week, and I've been on other separate occasions. It's a nice restaurant, the people are friendly, and some of the servers read Atomic County," Seth said with a smile.

Summer looked at Seth with curiosity. "By other separate occasions do you mean those dates that your family seems so adamant on setting you up with?"

"Uh, well, um, I guess you could say that, but uh, I mean, this is a special place for me, and I wanted to bring you, more than anyone else here, so I don't want you to think that it's just-"

"Cohen. It's cool, really. No explanation necessary," she said reassuringly. They sat for a moment in a semi-awkward silence before the waiter came over to take their drink orders.

"I think I'll start off with a Cosmopolitan," Summer said, given the waiter a small smile.

"Ha, Cosmopolitan," Seth laughed. Summer and the waiter looked at him expectantly. "Right, I'll just have a Boulevard Wheat, please." The waiter left, giving them a few more minutes to look over their menus. The both decided on the Shrimp scampi, and the waiter walked away, leaving them to sip their drinks.

"So how has New York been? I've only been back once since I moved away for a Comic Book Convention," Seth asked Summer, as their second round of drinks were brought out.

"It's been good. I work at the magazine which does take up a lot of my time. I occasionally go out with some college friends and some colleagues at the magazine for drinks, but with the rest of my time, I kind of just hang out with Blanche at my apartment." At Seth's raised eyebrows, Summer went on. "She's my baby, my dog. She's kind of my best friend, well, besides Coop and Sparkles of course."

Seth just gave Summer a smile. After a moment's thought, he spoke. "So, do you have any relentless colleagues in your life trying to set you up on date's every week?"

Summer rolled her eyes. "I think everyone that's out of college and single has those kinds of people in their life, but still, I've never really had a boyfriend since, well, you," she said quietly.

The rest of dinner was pretty quiet. Summer and Seth talked about their jobs and shared funny stories about their friends and coworkers, really seeming to enjoy each other's company. When dinner was over, the two, each having about 6 drinks in their systems, headed down to the dock where Seth's boat rested.

"Wow, Cohen. She's quite a step up from the Summer Breeze," Summer giggled, as she laid eyes on Seth's massive yacht.

"She is. I can't say that she has quite the sentimental value, but she is pretty special in her own right."

Summer tilted her head in question at Seth. "What's her name anyway?"

"Um, well, uh, Summer Dream," Seth coughed, his face reddening. Summer felt her own cheeks blushing, as she took Seth's hand and starting helping herself on board.

"Hey! You're supposed to ask the captain for permission before you board his boat," Seth joked.

Summer stopped where she was and placed her foot back on the dock. She turned around so that she was face to face with Seth, and slowly inched herself closer, until they were feeling each other's breath on their faces. Seth felt a lump form in his throat and quickly swallowed it. They stood for what seemed like ages before Summer finally whispered in a husky voice, "Well, do I have your permission, Captain?"

Seth stood and stared at her, trying to keep his thoughts pure as he smelled a mixture of her perfume and shampoo with every breath he took in through his nose. Unable to speak, he simply nodded his head, and Summer released her hand and climbed on board. When she finally stood firmly on the Summer Dream, she reached her hand out to Seth who was still in the same position that she had left him. "Are you going to come on board or what!" She questioned.

Realizing she was waiting for him, Seth attempted to breathe in deep and clear his head before nodding again. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I just need to untie this, and…Ok. I think we're good to go," he said, stepping on board. He walked past Summer and towards the steering wheel, catching another whiff of her irresistible fragrance on his way.

Seth started up the boat and began their course out into the Pacific Ocean, while Summer sat at the bow, staring out at the vastness that lay ahead of her. As the wind blew her hair back and she sat, beautifully perched with her back slightly arched as if she were laying into the wind, Seth thought that he had never seen her look so beautiful.

Bringing the boat to a halt and letting it sway to the natural rhythm of the ocean, Seth walked up behind Summer, laying his hands on her shoulders. "Have I told you tonight how beautiful you look?"

Summer, momentarily taken aback, let herself revel in his touch, but quickly shook herself out of the trance he had her under and turned to look at him. "Cohen, is that the booze talking again?" She joked as she let herself sit back on one of the leather seats that lined the inside of the boat.

Taking this as a hint to be less serious, Seth rose and grabbed bottle of wine from the cooler he had put on board earlier. "Oh, don't worry, Summer. I think after we finish one of these," Seth said motioning to the bottle, "you'll be more susceptible to my charms."

Summer stood to cross to where Seth was and put her hands on her hips, jutting one out while cocking her eyebrows. "Oh really, Cohen?" She said, playfulness evident in her tone and in her eyes. Seth couldn't help but chuckle as he poured himself and Summer a glass of Pinot. The two settled back down on one of the benches at the front of the boat downing their glasses of wine.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Summer spoke. "Isn't it sometimes mind-boggling when you think about how much are lives have transformed since we first met one another?"

Seth, for once, said nothing and simply nodded. Though they kept up this quiet and calm atmosphere for a good 20 minutes, their silence disintegrated along with the bottle of wine. They quickly became more open again as at dinner, telling each other funny stories of the past few years.

"What's been the best story to write so far, Sum?" Seth asked, genuinely curious.

Summer took a moment to ponder his question before finally opening her mouth to answer. "Well, in light of the release of some interesting figures, stating that members of US society were, on average, donating an extra $300 per year towards charitable organizations, Cosmo wanted to run some pieces on different charities and such, and which causes need the most money, volunteering, et cetera. So the editors wanted to assign someone to do something on all of the organizations relating to fair trade, and I said I'd take it."

Summer paused. "A lot of it was kind of boring, like profiling the different organizations, explaining the importance of fair trade, yadda, yadda, but when Chris Martin-yes, that Chris Martin-heard that the magazine was interested, he invited me on this two week excursion in Africa, where we actually met with a lot of the farmers that are effected by fair trade laws." Summer looked down. "I guess I loved how challenging it was to write the piece, and how important I felt the information that I would be giving the reader's was. I mean, I guess it sounds stupid, but for once, I didn't feel like what I was writing was too shallow, ya know?"

Seth looked on, amazed as ever at the person speaking before him. "I understand, Summer. You shouldn't feel stupid about that at all. Seriously. I'm really proud of everything you've done with your life." Seth sat back for a moment, allowing air for silence. "So was Chris Martin hot?"

Summer laughed and blushed a little. "You wouldn't believe it. I mean, none of the pictures from the magazines could even do him justice. He brought this guitar along, too, and at nights, we would sit around these fires, just listening to him sing. It was pretty amazing."

"Man," Seth smiled, feigning jealousy, "I've only seen Coldplay in concert once, and it was with 50,000 other people there. You saw them for two weeks straight for private concerts!"

"Cohen! You just told me earlier that you occasionally hang out with Quentin Tarantino. I think that we're playing a pretty even game. Oh, except that your secretary makes what I do, you OWN your own business, and you're an AMAZING artist!" The two shared a laugh at Summer's mini rage blackout.

Summer laid back on the blanket that Seth laid out on the floor for them and patted the empty space next to her. "Man, sometimes I really miss this." Seth looked at her sideways unsure of her meaning. "The stars. They're beautiful. And there's so many. The city is not exactly the best place for stargazing. But here, I just feel so small underneath the sky."

"Well, you are pretty small," Seth quipped, followed closely by a wince as Summer smacked him. "But I guess I know what you mean. Sometimes I'll get the weather report and just ride out and sleep out here, instead of in my apartment. I like getting away from the madness of the office and the city just to clear my head. It's amazing."

After a long pause, Seth exhaled and pulled himself to a sitting position. "Going somewhere?" Summer asked, lazily, feeling some of the effects of the alcohol she had consumed throughout the course of the evening.

"I was actually wondering, if you would, uh, well, if you would dance with me?" Seth asked, looking hopefully in Summer's direction. Summer let out a small giggle and bit her lip, nodding at Seth. This caused a full-dimple grin to form on Seth's face as he got up to cross to the CD player to put some music on.

As the opening strains of Fix You came on, Seth walked over to Summer and offered her a hand to stand up. Seth pulled Summer's body close to his, letting his hands fall to the small of her back as her hands encircled his neck. While listening to the lyrics of the song, Summer felt herself being bombarded by a hoard of memories and emotions. Though she refused to look up into Seth's eyes, she could feel him staring at her.

When she could no longer stand it, she looked up into his big brown eyes and was shocked at the amount of love and passion she found in them. A single tear slipped down her cheek, and before it could make it to the bottom, Seth bent down to kiss it a way. A small gasp escaped Summer's lips, and Seth pulled away just enough so that there noses were still touching.

The two stood for what seemed like an eternity, breathing in time to the music and each other. After several moments' hesitation and a difficult internal battle, Seth separated the distance between their mouths, resting his lips softly on Summer's. They kissed each other slowly and softly for awhile, showing each other care and tenderness, but as the desperation in the kisses grew, they quickly found themselves lying down again.

Seth trailed kisses down Summer's neck and on her décolletage, taking his time to cover every inch of her with the fire from his kiss. Summer let out soft moans and felt herself being completely overcome with passion. There mouths and limbs and hips crashed together as they rolled around on the blanket, completely oblivious to the stopping of the music or the rocking of the boat.

Summer straddled Seth on the ground, grinding her hips against his while hungrily kissing a trail from his neck down to his belt as she carefully unbuttoned his shirt. Just as Seth reached around to return the favor by unzipping her dress, Summer sat completely still. Seth sat up, her legs still straddling his hips, attempting to find out what happened.

"Seth, everything in my mind and body is telling me right now that we should do this, but I still don't think I can tonight," Summer said quietly, trying to answer the confusion that crinkled his forehead. Seth's hand surrounded her shoulders, and he rubbed her back, urging her to continue. "I mean, I'm not saying that I only want this because I'm drunk, because frankly, I would have just as easily had you back at your office today," Seth smirked at this, "But I don't want our first night together in 6 years to take place while under the influence. And I don't want our first night together to take place period until we resolve all of our past demons." Summer looked up as she finished, searching Seth's eyes.

Seth sighed and took a deep breath, running his hands over his face. "You're right, Summer. I've waited far too long for you to rush into anything right now." He looked at his watched and noticed it was 1 a.m. He took Summer's face in his hands and kissed her on the forehead. "It's 1. I should really get you back home." Seth moved to rise, but Summer pushed her weight down on his legs, forcing him to stay.

"Cohen, just because I don't think we should SLEEP together tonight doesn't mean we can't sleep together," Summer said, causing a grin to creep onto his face.

"You mean, you want to sleep with me? I mean, not SLEEP with me but sleep with me!" Seth could hardly contain his giddiness. Summer nodded. "I think that could definitely be arranged.

So it was decided that the two would spend the night on the boat. Summer borrowed Seth's dress shirt as pajamas, and Seth slept in his boxers. As the two lay down, Seth stayed towards one side of the pallet, unsure of how close Summer wanted to get. He was quickly relieved when Summer scooted her back towards him, grabbed his arm, and pulled it around her.

Just as Summer was about to doze off, Seth let out a little chuckle. "Hey Summer?"

"Hmm," she mumbled.

"For the record, the boat's named after you."

"Shut up, Cohen," she grunted back into the pillow, though a huge smile spread across her face.

**A/N I hope you guys aren't too disappointed with this one. I didn't want it to be too cheesy, but it might've been. Next chapter, Summer has the day off, so we'll wait and see what she does with it. Keep reviewing. I love it. Peace.**


	8. Rewrites

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Eight: Rewrites

Seth woke up to the loud shrill ringing of his cellphone. Judging by the position of the sun, he figured it was probably someone calling from work to tell him he was late. He quickly detached himself from Summer, trying to prevent the phone from waking her up.

"Seth Cohen," he answered, trying to maintain a relatively quiet tone of voice.

"Cohen! What are you doing? We have a meeting today at 10 to go over our proofs with the publishers. It's 9 am and you are still not in the office!"

"Oh geez, Anna, I am so sorry. I must have missed my alarm this morning. Ok, well, I trust that you can get everything prepared for the meeting. If I don't get there in time, just go ahead without me. I'll be there when I can," Seth replied, trying his best to calm down Anna, while covering up his error.

"Ok, just hurry!" She snapped hanging up the phone. Seth quickly descended the stairs to the bottom of the boat where he kept an extra change of work clothes. He washed his hair in the sink and put on his work shirt and slacks. He climbed back up the stairs and started the boat back towards the dock. After about 15 minutes, he had the boat back and docked, with Summer still sound asleep.

Realizing that she might freak out if she realized he was gone, he quickly ran down the pier to a small market. With his supplies in tow, he hustled back to the boat. He scribbled down a note and left it in his place on their makeshift bed with a purple lily underneath it. He set the boats small table with fresh strawberries, bagels and cream cheese, and a bottled Mocha frappucino. Behind his breakfast set up, he quickly placed a dozen white lilies and one pink rose in the center in a vase that he bought at the market.

When everything looked perfect, Seth walked over to where Summer lay. He looked down on her and smiled, and she bore a sweet grin on her face in her sleep. He softly rubbed his hand over her cheek and then kissed the same spot, before finally tearing himself away to go to work.

Seth stood in his office, catching his breath. He had just made it to the office, and he had ten minutes to spare before the arrival of the publisher's reps. He stood, waiting for them to arrive, with Anna sitting on his couch.

"So, how was your big date last night?" she questioned flatly.

"It was everything that I hoped it would be," Seth said, crossing to stare out the window.

"So I take it you and Summer knocked the hooker boots?" Anna said, clearly trying to slip in an insult on Summer.

"Excuse me?" Seth said, beginning to be pissed off at Anna's attitude towards Summer.

"Joke, Cohen," she said, as though it were obvious. "I'm glad you had a good time," she said, unconvincingly.

"Anna, can I just ask what the hell your problem is?" Seth asked, distaste evident in his voice. "You're supposed to be my 'best friend,' 'the one that's always there,' but Summer has been here for one day, and we shared a great night together, and you're being all uber bitchy towards her. Can you please NOT?"

"Whoa, Cohen. I'm sorry. I'm just trying to protect you from Little Miss Vixen, the girl that destroyed you. I'm sorry that you don't appreciate my efforts," Anna said bitterly.

"I don't need you to protect me, Anna, and I definitely don't need your rude comments towards Summer, so either support me or don't, but quit doing what you're doing." Seth paused. "And please, don't call me Cohen." Anna sat agape at Seth's little rant, but rolled her eyes and snorted when he got to the last comment. Before their little tiff could continue, the publishing reps entered the office, and after the usual handshakes and greetings, Seth invited them to sit down.

"Ok, to start I would just like to thank you for joining us as always," Seth opened the meeting, while Anna shuffled around in the background setting up boards. "Unfortunately, I have some bad news. If you could ignore what Ms. Stern is doing for the time being, I would like to say that we are not going to have any proofs to give you today. In light of some new developments with the comic, I would like to ask for a 24 hour extension to do some page rewrites." Anna and the reps stared in shock at Seth.

"Seth, what are you doing?" Anna whispered, throwing a smile in the direction of the reps.

"Well, Atomic County has always and will always be autobiographical for me. As you'll recall, Little Miss Vixen has not appeared in the comic for several months as the Ironists love interest, and this issue was supposed to be the issue where the Ironist completely ended any connection or feelings that he had for her," Seth said, making eye contact with each rep as he spoke, "But the real Little Miss Vixen is back in my life, and I think it would be wise to write her back in to the story."

The reps all spoke at the same time, trying to explain to Seth why it was impossible. "I know what you're saying I do believe me, and I am willing to pay any extra fees for this issue to have it printed and ready to go by next Wednesday, but believe me when I say, it is worth your while."

Seth paused, letting what he said settle in. "If you'll remember, the Little Miss Vixen action figure was the best-selling action figure out of the whole bunch of AC action figures. Her cosmetic line was called, and I quote, 'the biggest teenage cosmetic line since Bonne Belle' by Teen People. I know that those reasons might be convincing enough, so I'm going to appeal to your personal side. The story of Atomic County has always been about my life, from the beginning to now, where it reigns as the number one selling graphic novel in the country. I can't write Little Miss Vixen out for good, because she is part of my life, the love of my life. I've never failed to pay you guys, and I've never put out a poor comic book. Ok, well there was the one, when I had to rehash me and Summer's break up on the 5th year anniversary of the date that it happened, but other than that, never. And you know it. So please, take what I've said into consideration."

The room stood silent and the four reps looked back and forth between one another, unsure of what to say. Finally, the head representative, John Sampson, looked up to meet Seth's worried gaze. "Ok, Cohen, we'll give it to-"

"Before you say anything, John, let me say, that O.S. is the fasting growing comic book company in the nation, with Atomic County as the number one comic and Emo Kid as number two. We do have the power to switch publishing companies if it becomes necessary," Seth said, thinking that the threat would be just the ticket.

"Mr. Cohen, what I was going to say before I was interrupted was, 'Ok, we'll give it to you.' The extension, that is."

Before he finished Seth was already up shaking his hand and thanking him profusely. "You won't regret your decision, John."

"I know I won't. But you better not make a habit of this, or you'll have to talk to the big man, and he does not like missed deadlines." With that, the reps stood, said their goodbyes and left Seth and Anna standing in his office.

"Oh my gosh, Anna! This is GREAT! Can you believe that they said yes!" Seth said, excited at the prospect of writing Summer back in and the idea of her being in his REAL life, too. "I mean, I know it's a lot of work, but I think we can do it."

"You know what I can't believe? That you made that dumbass move in the meeting without even consulting me about it! And don't think for one second that there's a 'we' in this equation. As of now, I'm taking a sick day. Good luck finishing for tomorrow morning," Anna said, storming towards the door.

"Anna, if you leave, your job is as good as gone. I hate to say this, but look at my door, I'm the President. I hired you. I reserve the right to pull pages or plan rewrites, when and wherever I want to. This comic is about my life. Hell, it IS my life. You're my best friend and an avid comic booker, so I gave you the job so you could have a nice job and a nice life and so you could be part of this with me. Not for a second did I say anything about having to inform you of all of my decisions," Seth's voice boomed across the office.

Anna looked at Seth smugly and raised her middle finger. "You know what, COHEN, I won't make you fire me: I quit," Anna said and stalked out of the office.

Seth walked out and looked at his secretary who stood staring in disbelief at what she had just heard. After a moment, she smiled up at Seth. "Good job, Mr. Cohen. She was never as nice to me as you were." Seth laughed slightly at that, still shocked at the fact that he now had no VP. "Don't worry, I've already paged some members from the compilation team up to your office for a meeting. You'll have plenty of time and help to get everything ready."

Seth smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks a lot, Bev. You're the best," he said, turning back to walk into his office.

"Oh, and Mr. Cohen?"

"Yes?" He asked, turning around.

"I'm glad Little Miss Vixen's back," she said, reaching into her top desk drawer and pulling out Summer's action figure to place on her desk.

"Me too," he said dreamily, walking back into his office to prepare for his meeting

Meanwhile, away from the chaotic morning at O.S., a groggy Summer woke at around 11 a.m., immediately reaching her hand across the 'bed.' When she noticed that there was not anyone on the other side, her eyes shot open, only to see a folded piece of paper over a purple lily. She took the lily into her hand, and with a sleepy smile, unfolded the note.

"Summer,

_Sorry to take off without warning, but I was running late for a meeting and couldn't stand the thought of waking you up. I had almost forgotten how beautiful you look when you sleep. Well, almost. I have a meeting today at 10 a.m., but I am going to try to get the rest off to spend with you. If I can't, I should be back around 5. _

_Love,_

_Seth_

_P.S._

_Stay as long as you like. I bought some breakfast foods and placed them on the table_."

As she read the letter, particular the closing, she felt butterflies in her stomach. After laying down and thinking of how sweet and considerate Seth was for leaving her to sleep and then buying her breakfast, she finally rose to find something to eat. When she crossed the boat and saw the bouquet of flowers, her heart melted for about the tenth time that morning.

After finishing a bagel, some strawberries and the frappucino that Seth left her, Summer decided that she was going to go back to her hotel to fetch some clean clothes and her beachwear, so she could at least enjoy some of the California sun.

When she returned, she donned a brown Banana Republic string bikini, accented on the ties and between the triangles with wooden beads. She lathered herself up with SPF 15 tanning oil, and laid her mat down where Seth and her 'bed' was the night before. She laid for what seemed like forever, getting up only to reapply her oil and to eat some of the strawberries that Seth had left her that morning.

When Seth returned that evening to the sight of a sleeping Summer, wearing only a bikini, his jaw hit the floor. Seeing her in her serious lack of clothing caused a warm blush to creep up his neck and onto his cheeks, as his eyes scanned over her perfectly tanned body. He set down his briefcase and knelt down beside her, slowly trying to coax her from her sleep.

"It seems like whether I'm coming or going, you're always asleep these days," Seth joked as Summer slowly turned over and looked up to meet his eyes.

"Hey Cohen," she said, a lazy grin crossing her face. "Ya know, I used to be a pro at laying out, but my lack of practice has made me weak in the face of the California sun." Seth laughed as Summer pulled herself up off of her mat.

They stood, and Summer tilted her head to the side in the way that always made Seth weak in the knees. "Come here, Cohen," she said, stretching out her arms to take him into an embrace. Surprised but nonetheless welcoming, Seth wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"What was that for?"

"Just for you being you. The way you were such a gentleman last night, the way you remembered my favorite flowers, the way that you bought me flowers and breakfast this morning. Just everything," She said sweetly, gazing into his eyes. "Thanks, Cohen."

"Summer, if it was anyone else I'd say you're welcome, but you know that you don't have to thank me. I love doing things like that for you. I love see this," he said, poking his finger into her smile. "Seeing you smile is the only thanks I need." Unable to resist, Summer stood on her tiptoes and kissed him in the dimple. "So, what's going on tonight?"

"Well, I was thinking, I have a lot of work to do. Today I decided that I want to rewrite some pages and change the ending of this coming issue, which my publishing company needs no later than 10 a.m. tomorrow. So, if it wouldn't be boring, I thought you could come over to my place, chill out, keep me company when I need a break. I could even possibly guarantee some time to watch cheesy movies?" Seth pleaded for Summer to say yes with his eyes, even throwing in a small pout with his lower lip.

Summer grabbed his cheeks and pushed them together. "How could I say no to a face like that! Of course I'll come. I just need to stop by the hotel and put on something more comfortable. It sounds like we're going to have a long night," Summer said, quickly thinking it came out as more of an innuendo. "I mean, you sound like you have a long night of work ahead of you, and I'll want to stay up to go on coffee runs and stuff," she explained.

Seth nodded quickly, trying to not seem awkward or overly excited at the prospect of a 'long night' with Summer. "Right then! So do you want to meet me there, or should I just swing you by on the way home?"

"Um, why don't I meet you? That way I have some time to shower and check in with my editor," Summer said, suddenly remembering the REAL reason she was in LA.

"Sure, sounds good, just one second," Seth said, as he got a piece of paper and scribbled down his address for her. "Ok, here's my address. It's about a ten minute drive from the hotel. Oh, and don't forget to take your Allegra," Summer looked up at him with a puzzled look. "I have a cat, Rooney, and I know that you love to cuddle up with cats, but when you forget to take your allergy medicine, they give you a little trouble," he explained.

Summer looked into his eyes in amazement. "I can't believe you remembered that," she said softly.

Seth caught her hand and pressed the piece of paper with his address into it. "There's not much about you that I've forgotten, only more that I want to learn," he said softly, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.

Feeling the heat rise to her face, Summer broke her gaze and took her hand back. "Ok, Cohen, well, I guess I'll see you in a little while," she said, clearly flustered.

Seth bent down and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before she gathered her things and walked towards where the limo waited. "Later, Summer."

"Bye, Seth," she said, throwing one last smile back in his direction.

**A/N The spacing in this chapter is a little off for some reason, so I apologize. Sorry for any Anna lovers, but the bitch had to go. LoL. Anyway, I hope this chapter didn't suck too bad. I wanted to some how show how A.C. connects with Seth's real life. That little fact might cause some drama in the next chapter, but you'll just have to wait and see. Keep on keepin' on. Peace.**


	9. InterOffice Meddling

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Nine: Inter-Office Meddling

When Summer returned to the hotel, she worked fast to strip down from her swim suit and cover-up to take a shower. Upon exiting from the shower she blew her hair dry and ran some product through it, letting it settle naturally down her back.

While still in her robe, she placed a call to Charley. It was 3 o'clock in New York, so she called the switchboard at Cosmo and was quickly put through to her anxious editor.

"Summer, love, how IS California treating you?" she asked giddily, clearly searching for some page three gossip.

"It's pretty great. I enjoyed a nice evening with Seth last night, and I laid out on the water all day today," Summer said with a smile in her voice. "I really miss this place sometimes, Charley."

"I imagine so. Especially at this time of year, when the only heat we have outside comes from the exhaust of cars." She let out a small sigh. "So, anyway, we're still working on a new lead for the story. We might just turn it into a profile on some of the most successful young men on the west coast, which would basically be the same thing it just wouldn't be so reliant on marital status."

"That might work," Summer said, with some apprehension in her voice.

"What is it, Summer, baby? You don't sound so sure?"

"Charley, where do I have to draw the line as far as conflict of interest goes? I mean, Seth and I had a great night last night. A lot of old feelings are beginning to resurface, or are coming out from wherever they've been hiding over the past six years. I don't want my writing this story to conflict with the code of ethics that I agreed to when I signed my contract."

"Summer, I'm your editor. If you violate any codes of ethics, I have to answer for you. I won't let you do it. If things continue to progress, we can just allow another reporter to use your notes to write the story, or if need be, someone entirely new can interview Mr. Cohen. Don't stress about this. Just have fun with it."

"Thanks, Charley. You're the best at keeping my morale up," Summer sighed. "So what is my schedule going to be like?"

"Well, I've rescheduled another interview for you with Atwood, although from the sounds of things, you'd probably be able to be seen any time in his office. We're still working on two more prospects for the story, so that we can use it as a full five page spread."

"How long will I have the hotel room?" Summer queried, afraid that her boss would want her home soon after her interview with Zach.

"Right now, it's reserved through next Friday, so that gives you a week and 3 days to complete all of your interviews and write the story. I'll give you the name of the editor in our LA offices, so you can submit your story through there."

"Why wouldn't I just bring it back with me to New York with me?"

"Funny you should ask. The other editors and I thought it might be appropriate for you to take at least a week of that 2 months of vacation you have saved up over the past few years. Did you need us to book you a hotel for that, too, or do you think you could work that out for yourself?" Charley said in a mischievous tone.

"You mean to tell me that you guys are FORCING me to take a vacation?" Summer asked, although internally relieved at the prospect of having time off.

"Oh, Summer. You make us sound like we're your enemies. We just think that someone your age should take advantage of the traveling time to see the world. Or in your case to revisit the place you grew up."

Summer chuckled at her boss' obvious meddling in her social life. "Well, since you put it like that, I think I can arrange something. I'm sure Marissa would be thrilled to have me stay with her," she replied, leading her boss away from the idea of furthering her relationship with Seth.

Summer knew what she wanted, she just hated the idea of everyone around her pressuring her into it. "You know, Charley, go ahead and schedule me for two weeks vacation. I know that it's almost time for the designers to reveal their summer lines, seeing that it's the beginning of March, so maybe I could hit up a few fashion shows and churn out another piece while I'm here."

"Oh, my little star reporter, the working never stops for you. Just make sure that you take plenty of time to yourself hitting the spas and maybe even Mr. Dimples, while you're at it," the older woman said in a sexy tone.

"Charley! Oh my gosh! You did not just say that to me! And his name is Seth!" Summer was blushing so bad, it was as though her editor could hear it through the phone. She continued to laugh. "Anyway, moving away from my sex life, I almost forgot about my dog. Would you do me a HUGE favor, Charley?"

"Summer, I may love you to pieces, and I may even attempt to live vicariously through your sex life, but honey, I am no dog sitter," she replied, before even knowing Summer's favor.

"Well, I'm glad, because I would never let little Blanche become corrupted by staying with you," Summer joked. "I was actually hoping that you would talk to Jen in Finance, who is watching her for me, to see if you could have her sent out on a flight tomorrow. We've never been on vacation together. In fact, she's never even seen where I grew up. It would really mean a lot.," Summer said, pleading with her boss in her sweetest tone.

"My schedule is quite busy, but I'll see what I can do," Charlotte responded, in a tone that assured Summer it would be done. "Anyway, you have your assignment, and you know what to do. I think this could be big for you, Ms. Roberts." Charlotte fell silent for a moment. "Summer, just promise me you won't stay forever. New York needs you, sugar!"

"I'll do my best, Charley," Summer said, attempting to comfort her boss. "Besides, I don't know if I could live without you and Tuesday night Happy Hours at Three Olives." Summer said, referring to the women's favorite martini bar.

"Oh, Summer, darling. Kisses and love. Ciao!"

"Bye, Charley," Summer signed off, feeling slightly sad to be away from her chaotic office and her crazy boss. As much as she loved being here and reuniting with her friends, family, and Seth, she was really accustomed to life in the city, after all, she had lived there for 6 years. Even though she grew up in California, she felt so out of her element in LA amidst the west coast lifestyle.

Pushing these thoughts out of her head, Summer started to get ready to go to Seth's. She called Maury, her driver, and told him that she would be ready in fifteen minutes. She quickly changed into some slim fit jeans and a pair of pink and black Puma sneakers she had bought years ago. They had reminded her of Seth's style. She sorted through her relaxed clothes and finally rested on a pink v-neck tank top.

Checking her appearance twice in mirror and spritzing herself with some Romance by Ralph Lauren, she threw her pajamas and work clothes into her LV overnight bag, grabbed her purse and briefcase and was out the door. When she reached the limo she went around to the passenger's side and got in next to Maury.

"Here's the address. Thanks again for driving me around while I'm here," she said sweetly, throwing a smile towards the driver.

"It's really no problem, Ms. Roberts. This is what I am paid to do," Maury responded, a sense of duty and kindness evident in his tone.

"I realize that, I just feel like it must be cooler for you when you get hired for big celebrities or rock stars than an asinine reporter for Cosmo," Summer said sarcastically.

"Oh, rubbish. I find that the people that aren't in the spotlight tend to be a lot kinder." The two rode the rest of the way in silence. When she arrived at Seth's, Summer told Maury that she wouldn't need a ride again until the following morning. The two said their goodbyes, and Summer entered into the building and took the elevator to the penthouse as Seth had instructed.

As the elevator doors opened, Summer gasped at the sight before her. Seth's penthouse set-up was pretty unbelievable. When you walked in the first thing that you noticed was the wall of windows that looked out over LA. There were partitions throughout the apartment, giving a feeling of seclusion in each space, but the window wall could be seen from every room.

Summer noted that Seth must have hired someone to decorate the place, because her Cohen could have never thought up these design schemes. It was definitely customized to fit his personality, however. The walls around the place were in all of his favorite colors: various shades of black, blue, and green. There were some of his favorite posters from high school framed on the walls in sleek black frames. The hallways were similarly decorated as the walls were lined with framed issues of Atomic County.

As she stood staring, she suddenly recognized Seth's voice shouting and a women's voice shouting back. Summer froze, unsure of what to do, and before she could make up her mind, she saw a very angry Seth storming towards where she stood with a screaming Anna at his heels. As Seth looked up, Summer felt like a deer caught in the headlights, but waved and mouthed a 'hi' in an attempt to relieve some of the awkwardness.

Seth's features visibly softened when he saw Summer. "Summer, hey, I'm sorry if I scared you. I was just escorted Anna to the door," he said, shooting a vicious glare in the blonde's direction.

"Don't worry, BITCH, I was just leaving. You can have Seth all to yourself for all of the mindfucking you need to perform," Anna seethed through clenched teeth before walking to the elevator and slamming her hand into the buttons.

"Is this a bad time, Cohen?" Summer asked, curiosity and bit of jealousy coming through her eyes.

Seth sighed and settled onto his black leather couch, patting the spot next to him. "No, Summer, it's not a bad time. I'm sorry you had to see that, but I'm relieved you came when you did," he said as Summer sat down to listen, intent on hearing what caused the scary fight that had just happened between Seth and Anna.

"So, some, let's call it, restructuring took place at O.S. today," he began.

**A/N I know that many were hoping Anna would not come back, but I decided to use that last scene as a way for Seth to tell Summer about what happened. Don't worry, I don't plan on throwing her in there any more than I have to. Sorry about the lack of S.S. in this chapter. I wanted to do something that incorporated other people in Summer's life, particularly her editor (she's a fun gal, lol). In the next chapter, we'll get to see Summer's reaction to the firing of Anna and what will unfold when Summer keeps Seth company during his late night of rewrites. Review, please. Peace.**


	10. The Late Night

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Ten: The Late Night

Summer sat on the couch, staring at Seth as he finished telling the Anna saga. "So she's gone for good now, huh?" Summer said, trying to hide the small smirk of satisfaction that was fighting its way through.

Seth sighed and threw his hands up. "I guess so. It's so frustrating, and firing her is causing me to have twice my normal workload, but I couldn't stand it. She said some really terrible things today. I mean, she's supposed to be my friend, and then she sits there, trashing the people that I love the most," Seth said, shooting a glance in Summer's direction to make sure that the last part of what he said hadn't freaked her out.

Though she was still reeling from the mention of love, Summer tried to play it cool continuing the conversation. "Seth, I don't want you to do this if it's going to hurt the company. I mean, you're kind of already my hero for standing up to that Pittsburgh bitch in the first place. You don't have to prove anything to me," she said, trying to be comforting. "Gosh, maybe Anna's right. Since I've come back this week, you've already had trouble with this issue, and you've lost your VP." She reached over, laying her hand on his knee. "Seriously, call her now. Beg her to come back. I'm sure she'll forgive you."

Seth looked up from the floor and into Summer's eyes. "Summer, you have to be kidding me. This isn't just the stupid things that she said. It's more about the fact that she doesn't respect my rights and artistic license as leader of this company, and she doesn't respect one of the people I care most about in the world. I mean, I can't even consider her a friend after the things she said about you today."

Seth rose, shaking his head. "And the fact that her stupidity and evil ways have led you to think that YOU are somehow responsible for messing things up, it's, it's ludicrous." Seth moved to sit next to Summer again, taking her hand in his. "Summer, I can honestly say that I have not smiled as much in the past 6 years as I have in the last two days. It's crazy. I don't really know what's going to come of you being back here and us reconciling, but all I know is that everything has been better since you stepped into my office two days ago."

Summer's eyes glistened with tears, and she smiled at Seth. Unable to control it any longer, she let the brightest smile he had ever seen light up her entire face. His expression soon mirrored hers, and they sat in silence smiling at one another.

After about five minutes, Summer reached her hands up and caressed the sides of Seth's face. "I'm glad to be back in your life, too, Cohen. Even if you are the biggest cheeseball I've ever met," and before he could quip back Summer left a short, yet lingering kiss on his waiting lips.

"So, you told me everything that happened today at the office, but you didn't tell me why she was here," Summer said, searching Seth's eyes. "Why was she here, Cohen?"

"She tried to seduce me into giving her her job back," he said, a smile playing on his features. "It's hard for girls to resist the irresistible charm that I have."

Summer stared at him open-mouthed before smacking him up side the head. "Get to work, Cohen. You're going to have a long night ahead of you."

"We are, Summer. We're in this all-nighter together," he said, rising to cross the apartment to sit at his drawing table.

"Well, I guess the first thing I need to do then is go on a coffee run," she replied. "What are you in the mood for tonight, Mr. Cohen? Are you in the usual Venti black coffee mood? Or is it one of those special nights when you order a quad Venti black and white mocha?" Summer asked, trying to sound her best like a TV announcer.

Seth laughed. "I think tonight I'll have to go with the latter. I need all the espresso I can get." A beat. "Actually, if you wouldn't mind, ask the barista if they could just prepare me an IV."

Summer chuckled in his direction as she grabbed her purse and walked towards the elevator.

Three hours later, the apartment sat relatively quiet. Summer sat at Seth's desk, clacking away on her computer at the notes she was making for her meeting with Zach. Adjacent to the desk sat Seth's drawing table, where he was making sketch after sketch, trying to get Little Miss Vixen primed for her return to Atomic County. It did help that her living counterpart sat right next to Seth.

As Summer heard Seth sucking the last drops out of his second coffee cup, she stood up and stretched before coming behind him and placing her hands on his shoulders. "Do you need another coffee, Mr. Artiste?" she asked, while beginning to knead her hands into his shoulders. Seth's only response was the moan that escaped his lips.

"I have a better idea, Summer," Seth began. "Why don't we take a break, and you can keep on doing what you're doing right now?"

Summer hesitated and her hands stopped. "Ok, Cohen. I'll agree to that, on one condition: You aren't the only one who gets his shoulders rubbed."

"Whatever you say, Summer. Anything to get your hands working their magic again," Seth said, sounding quite desperate. Summer laughed and took his hand, leading him over to the rug in his living room. She instructed him to lie down on his stomach and straddled him, resting her butt on the small of his back.

"So, how's it coming, Cohen?" she asked, while digging her thumbs into the knots between his shoulder blades.

"It's, uh, oh yeah, right there please. It's going quite well, I think," he said, seeming to be contemplating something. "I haven't drawn you in years, well, at least not for Atomic County, so it's quite challenging, but it helps to have you here."

As Summer worked her way down his back, she tilted her head to the side, obviously thinking about something. "I thought that Little Miss Vixen's character was taken out of the comic less than a year ago?"

"Oh, she was. It's just in the beginning of the book, I mostly used the images of her that I drew in high school and in the beginning of college," Seth said, and allowed for a brief pause. "I knew that she was an essential part of Atomic County, so I wanted her around for the first little bit, when everything was pretty much an exact autobiography of high school, but as the story lines changed, and after, their, um, the, well, ya know, the-"

"Break up?" Summer offered.

"Yeah, exactly. I kind of ran out of images of her that I had stored away, and it became, just, um, too difficult to draw anymore," Seth finished, softly. They sat for the next 10 minutes in complete silence, except for the occasionally sigh or groan let out by Seth. The two silently pondered what the other was thinking, and a tension grew in the air.

Finally, Seth broke the silence, offering Summer a back rub of her own. They quickly shifted positions, and Seth took the opportunity of being on top to speak to her. "You know that I never blamed you, Summer, right?" he questioned, a tenderness in his voice.

Summer, unsure of what to say let out a deep breath. "How could you not, Seth? I pushed you away. I left you, because of things that had happened in my past," she said this louder than she had intended to, self-deprecation evident in her voice.

Seth moved until he sat next to her, and noticing this, she brought herself up to a sitting position before continuing. "I know that you've probably always been wondering why I did what I did that night." She paused, allowing Seth to nod his agreement. "And the truth is that sometimes, I, to this day, wonder the exact same thing."

"Summer, we don't have to rehash this right now. We can just let now be what it is and then be what it was. I don't want you to do this to yourself," he said, taking her hand and forcing her to meet his gaze. Summer withdrew her hand and stood up, pacing the apartment.

"Seth, I need to do this," she proclaimed, a sense of desperation in her voice. "I feel like maybe, if I tell you, the only person I've ever fully trusted, maybe if I just say my thoughts aloud, I'll be able to finally come to grips with them." Seth said nothing, but caught her eyes and nodded, assuring her that he was there to listen.

"I guess I just felt weird. What we were doing felt weird to me. It was like all through senior year and our first semester of college we were PERFECT. Not that people didn't try to fuck with us and mess up what we had, because there were occasional moments of near-drama, but it was like nothing could get to us. We were this entity." She stopped, drawing in a ragged breath. "But then, right when we decided to take our relationship to a new level, and go all domestic, things started to get, I don't know, crazy."

She kneeled down in front of Seth and took his hand to accent her next point. "I know that it's not because of the fact that we were becoming 'domestic' that everything fell apart. It was the fact that we were in college. We were both loaded up with intense courses, and you had this amazing opportunity to try to sell your comic book. But somehow, in my head, I thought, this is just how things are with me. Can you really blame me though? It's not like domestication has ever really worked in my family," she said bitterly, only to be met with Seth's sympathetic eyes.

Finally, looking defeated, she sat all the way down so she was face to face with Seth and took both of his hands in hers. "I just know that if our situations were reversed, and it was you who had done it to me, I would have spent the last 6 years replaying over and over in my head all of the small things that I'd done wrong. But it wasn't you, Seth. I need you to trust me on that," Summer finished, pleading with Seth's eyes.

Before speaking, Seth blinked twice, and his eyes shined with emotion. "Thank you for telling me that. I think it's what I've been waiting to hear since that night," he squeezed out, before taking Summer into a bone-crushing hug. They remained that way for what seemed like an eternity, until Summer noticed the clock over Seth's shoulder.

"It's midnight, Cohen, which means Starbuck's is closed," she said, adding on a puppy dog face at the end. Seth just smiled back at her. "I guess we'll have to settle for Quicky Mart coffee for the rest of the night."

Five hours and two coffee runs later, Seth was sitting at his drawing table finishing up the final page that he need for tomorrow's meeting. Despite her best efforts to stay awake and keep him company, Summer had resigned herself to the couch at around 4 a.m. and now lay, softly snoring on the couch, with Rooney sleeping on her feet.

When the final page was done, Seth let out a deep sigh and rose to click off the lights on the desk and the drawing table. He crossed the apartment to the couch and had to contain himself at the adorable scene Summer and Rooney made together. He knelt down next to them and took Summer's hand that had been hanging off the side. After staring for a few moments at the beautiful woman before him, he finally kissed her forehead and rose with the intention of going to bed.

As he stood, he realized that Summer had somehow tightened her grip on his hand in her sleep. Afraid that slipping his hand out of her death grip would rouse her, Seth settled himself on the floor next to the couch, and stared up at the ceiling. Before turning over, he felt himself unable to contain what he had been trying not to say to Summer since the moment he saw her. "I love you, Summer Roberts," he whispered into the night and soon found himself overtaken by sleep.

**A/N I know that everyone loved the 9 updates in 3 days, but I think I'm going to start limiting myself to two chapters a day. Hopefully I'll still be able to maintain the flow of the story while doing this. I know that this chapter was a little emotional, but I hope it wasn't too much out of the characters of Seth and Summer. Lemme know what you think! Peace.**


	11. Dirty Politics

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Eleven: Dirty Politics

Seth groaned as he felt his internal clock telling him it was time to wake up. His eyes slowly opened, and he found himself unaware of his surroundings. He quickly shut them again and remembered that he had fallen asleep on the floor next to the couch the night before. When he finally reopened his eyes, he was greeted by Summer standing over him with a smile on her face.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she said, offering him a small grin and cup of coffee.

Seth reached up and took the coffee from her hand. "I don't know how it could be a bad morning when you wake me up looking like that," he said, blatant desire in his tone. "I wish you would have worn that when you interviewed me."

He rose and stood across from Summer, taking in her appearance more fully. She was dressed in a cream colored blazer with thin purple pin stripes and a matching skirt with a slit that revealed part of her leg, which Seth could only describe as 'to die for.' Underneath her suit she wore a silk and lace camisole. To top the outfit off, she wore gold chain necklaces and a pair of purple pumps. Seth thought she looked incredibly sexy.

"Why DIDN'T you wear that when you came to interview me?" he joked, waggling his eyebrows at her.

"Actually, the Wonder Woman costume didn't quite fit under this outfit, so I had to choose the other one," Summer teased back.

Seth looked off into the distance, eyes glazing over at the thought of Summer in the Wonder Woman costume. "Do you still have that costume?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Summer said mysteriously, throwing a sexy smile over her shoulder as she walked into the kitchen.

Seth was finally shaken from his memory of that sweet, sweet Christmukkah gift when the smell of pancakes and bacon suddenly filled his nose. "Summer, did you cook!" he said, almost in shock, because of the answer he already knew.

A noise of confirmation came from the kitchen as she walked towards the table with plates of food in her hands. "I thought it would be nice to return the favor from yesterday," she explained, smiling sweetly.

"Wow!" Seth said, a little hot at the thought of Summer as chef. "I'm quite impressed. The Summer Roberts I knew never laid a finger on anything in the kitchen," he said, mischief in his eyes.

Summer looked up from where she stood near the table and crossed to Seth in 5 long strides. She got right up in his face until he could feel her breath on his neck. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Seth," she whispered, huskily. His face turned a hot shade of red, and he tried his best to keep his breathing even as Summer's fragrance filled the air.

Summer suddenly stepped away from him. "So, you ready for breakfast, Cohen?" she said, slapping him on the back and walking towards the dining room.

Seth simply nodded and followed Summer towards the table, muttering "evil, evil woman" all the way there.

After a nice breakfast with Cohen, Summer called Maury, and he picked her up promptly at 9:30 for her 10 o'clock meeting with Zach at a coffee shop in downtown LA.

She now sat, draining her second cup of coffee, still waiting for the infamous Senator Stevens to arrive. Summer wasn't sure how to feel about the meeting. The last time Summer had really talked to him was the night that he left her at prom for the meeting with George Lucas. It wasn't really because she hated him or intentionally avoided him, it was just that after the "contest" of Junior Year was finally over with Zach on the losing end, he tended to avoid the "Fantastic Four," as Seth had fondly dubbed them.

Well, that, and he and his family had moved to LA, so that his dad could run for office in a new district.

While checking her watch for the tenth time in an hour, Summer noticed a figure approaching her from the right. When she looked up, she was met with a pair of eyes that she hadn't seen in nearly 8 years.

"Zach!" she said, standing up and smoothing her shirt before reaching out a hand for him to shake.

"Oh, Summer, don't be silly," he replied, and leaned in to give her a hug. A little taken a back, she stiffened up, and gave him an awkward one-armed hug back.

"So," she said, pulling away and taking a seat, "how have things been for you?"

"Is this a friend question, or a professional question?" he said, giving her a cheesy grin and brushing his still floppy hair out of his eyes. Summer simply gave him a look, so he decided to answer the question on a friend basis. "Oh, you know, it's been good. My career is one of the most successful ones in the history of California government, and I'm only 25, but the personal life, it lacks spice." Summer raised her eyebrow at that, and he continued. "I just haven't really seen anyone since my college girlfriend and I broke up after graduation. I'm in the middle of a three year dry spell."

Summer gave him an understanding smile at that. "I can relate. Cohen and I broke up the second semester of our freshman year, and I haven't really seen anyone since then," Summer said.

"So, you're not seeing anyone?" Zach said, eyes lighting up with curiosity.

She let out a heavy sigh before answering. "Officially, no. But Seth and have been spending a lot of time with each other since of been back. I really have missed him."

"Well, that's…great," he replied, trying to sound convincing behind an extremely fake smile.

"So, anyway, it's always nice to chat, but I am here for a reason," Summer said, shifting the conversation away from their personal lives while taking out her tape recorder and turning it on.

"Right," Zach said, looking visibly dejected. "So, shoot, Summer."

"So, how did you get started in politics?"

"Summer, I think you know the answer to that," he said, reaching across the table and brushing her hand.

"Yes, Zach, I know, but I need to hear it from you, so I can give it to the readers," she said, raising her tape recorder up between them to occupy her hands.

Zach rolled his eyes. "It started when I was about 6 months old, and my father ran for the California House of Representatives. He served in the California House until I was about 10, at which point he was elected as a representative for the state in the US Congress. I guess I've been bred to be a politician." Zach paused, being a true politician. He took the time to formulate the perfect answer in his head before continuing. "My dad taught me at a young age to be proud of the morals and values that America stands for and to never be afraid to fight for the freedoms we enjoy in this great democracy. He also taught me to always fight for America's people, the best citizens of the world."

When Zach stepped down off his soap box, Summer was visibly disturbed at the man in front of her. "Great answer," she muttered, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Ok, next question: do you think that your political career has interfered at all with your love life?"

Zach grinned smugly. "Is that another personal question, or is it for the magazine?" Summer just glared. "Right, ok, well. I would never say that my duties interfere with my love life. I have remained single, because I want to do my best to serve this country and to fight for its people. I feel that at this time in my life, the best way I can do that is to be by myself."

Summer rolled her eyes at Zach before asking her next question. "Well, if you weren't so 'dedicated to your country,' what WOULD you look for in a woman?"

"I've always been very attractive to brunettes," he said, winking at Summer, "But that's not necessarily part of the criteria. I'd really like to find a woman who is a true patriot, just like I am. I want someone who is informed and aware of the world around her. I want someone who's passionate and willing to fight for a cause, whatever that cause may be and-" Zach was cut off by a hysterical Summer. "What?"

"You just seriously have to be kidding me!" she exclaimed, clicking off her recorder and placing it in her bag. "I'm going to go. I have all the information I need. Good luck, Zach, with whatever you do." Zach rose before Summer turned to leave.

"Don't I even get a hug, Summer?" he asked, looking completely desperate and pathetic.

"Zach, no, just, ew!" And with that she turned on her heel and walked out of the coffee shop, laughing her way to the car When she spotted Maury, she quickly whispered some instructions to him and hopped into the passenger seat.

On the way to her next destination, Summer reached into her bag and pulled out her cell phone to call Seth. After waiting on hold for about five minutes, Summer was relieved to hear his voice come onto the line. "Seth Cohen," he greeted, sounded a bit stressed.

"Um, hi, Mr. Cohen, is it? I was just wondering if you were available tonight," she said, throwing her voice into a silly high pitch in an attempt to make Seth smile.

"This wouldn't be the tease that made me breakfast this morning, would it?" he threw back at Summer, mischief evident in his tone.

"Cohen! I am most definitely NOT a tease," she replied, her voice indicating the brink of a rage blackout.

"Whoa, whoa, Summer. Before you start your rage blackout, could you please take into consideration the shit day that I've been having?" Seth pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Cohen," she said sweetly. "What's been the problem?

"Oh, nothing. Now that we have the issue off to the publishers, I need to work on finding a replacement VP, and I don't know where to begin."

"Well, why don't you take a lunch break with me?" she asked, still trying to brighten Seth up.

He let out a long sigh before finally responding. "I want to Summer, I really do. I just have SO much work to do, it's unreal."

"Well, a guy's gotta eat, right?" Summer said as she walked into his office with take out in her hands, shoving her cellphone back into her bag.

The worry wrinkles that had formed on Seth's face throughout the day visibly softened at the sight of Summer. He offered her a small smile. "What are you doing here?" he said, rising to greet her.

Summer shrugged. "What can I say? I was in the neighborhood and thought you might want some company for lunch." She paused, a huge grin forming on her face. "I also thought you might like to hear about my, well, interesting interview with Mr. Floppy-haired Politician."

"He STILL has floppy hair?" Seth asked with exaggerated disbelief, as he joined Summer by the couch and coffee table where she was spreading out take out cartons. The two sat and laughed for the next hour or so, as Summer animatedly reenacted her morning. Seth lost it when she brought out the interview tape.

When it was time to leave, Summer and Seth agreed that they would spend the evening at Ryan and Marissa's, as Marissa had invited Summer over earlier that morning.

"Well, I guess I'll let you get back to your work, Cohen," Summer said, leaning over afterwards and kissing Seth on his cheek. "I'll see you tonight when you pick me up."

"Can't wait," Seth said, knowing the rest of his afternoon would involve anything but work.

**A/N I know this chapter probably wasn't too exciting, but it was kind of fun to write. For those of you asking for a little Ryrissa action, I decided to give you a present, so look forward to the next chapter. Review, please.**


	12. Catching Up

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Twelve: Catching Up

"Coming!" Summer yelled, as she heard a knock on the door of her suite. She glanced back into the mirror one more time and fluffed her hair before running to answer it. "Hello, Cohen," she said with a smile.

"Good evening, Summer," he replied, attempting to sound English. Summer stepped back allowing him to step into the room. He looked around comically stroking his chin and nodded. "I suppose this will do." Summer simply shook her head and shut the door.

"So, how was the rest of your day?" she asked, walking into the bedroom to find her purse.

"It was better after I saw you actually," he said, smiling. "I posted the position on a couple of comic-related websites and sent it in to the Times, the Register, and all of the colleges in the UC-system. I'm hoping that I'll be able to start interviewing next week, but it's one of those times I just have to sit back and hope that Jesus and Moses take care of it."

"I see that you're still trying that whole Juda-Christian thing, huh?" Summer said dryly, walking back into the room.

"Summer, I'd appreciate it if you would quit mocking my faith," he said, trying to sound legitimately offended. Summer just rolled her eyes.

"Are you ready to go, Cohen?"

"Let's do it," he said, taking her arm and leading her out of the room.

Ryan rose from his spot in front of the TV as he heard a knock on the door. When he opened it, he was greeted by a smiling Summer and Seth.

"He lives!" Summer exclaimed, pulling him into a hug.

"It's good to see you, too, Summer," Ryan said, a hint of friendly sarcasm in his tone.

"Brother," Seth said, attempting to hug Ryan as Summer had. Ryan just stood stiffly.

"Hi Seth," he replied. "Marissa's in the kitchen, if you want to risk going in there," he said to Summer.

"Coop! In the kitchen? Who'd a thunk it?" Summer said jokingly.

"Ya know, Summer, you're not going to be able to call her Coop for much longer, so you better get it out while you still can."

"Shut up, Cohen." She paused. "But nice job on the whole engagement thing, Chino," she added thoughtfully, making her way to her best friend.

Ryan and Seth stood in the door way awkwardly for a moment, before Seth broke the silence.

"So, playstation?" Ryan nodded.

"Beer?" Seth nodded. And the two boys made their way into the living room.

"So, I'm kind of nervous about breaking the news to my mom," Marissa confessed from where she stood stirring her sauce.

"Well, there's not much she can do about it either way, Coop. Plus, you love Ryan, and besides a little drama here and there, you guys are basically meant to be. Aw, you're going to be an Atwood," Summer cooed.

"How freaky is THAT!" she replied with wide eyes.

"It's pretty weird, I'm not gonna lie. But you'll be so happy! And the wedding. I can't wait to help plan it," Summer paused, looking thoughtful. "Charley, my editor, is actually personal friends with Vera Wang. I'm pretty sure she could pull some strings, and we could work something out."

"That would be amazing, and I totally want you to help me plan the wedding, but first," Marissa said, eyes narrowing on Summer, "I want you to tell me about the last two nights that you've spent. With Seth."

Summer's cheeks instantly turned bright red, and she ducked her head away from her friends gaze. "There's not much to say, Coop, honestly," she replied coolly. "We've just been hanging out. Andwemayhavepossiblymadeoutonce, but it's really NOT that big of a deal."

"And just when were you planning on telling me this, Summer Anne!" she said, voice growing louder and louder.

"Shhh. Coop! Can we at least TRY to act like we're 25?"

"Summer! We're BEST friends. Since like, the womb. What is going on with you and Seth?"

"I don't know," Summer said softly, looking down. "It's been great. Really really great. But it's complicated."

Marissa, realizing Summer was not going to say anymore for awhile, shifted the topic towards the wedding. "So how do you feel about chartreuse?"

Summer looked up with a grateful smile on her face. "Chartreuse has definite possibilities," she said, relieved to have averted the Seth issue. Well, at least for now.

"Dude, you have definitely gotten better at this since the last time we played," Seth said, setting his controller down in defeat and swapping it for his beer.

"What do you think I do all day? Look at blueprints?" Ryan tried to joke. Seth just stared.

"Oh, right, you're trying the funny thing again. No, dude, no," he said, shaking his head at his brother. "So, how is everything going with the wedding plans?"

Ryan just shrugged. "I'm pretty much leaving that all up to Marissa. I am pretty excited about telling the parents this weekend though.

"That's great, man, great. So are we done talking about you for now?" Seth said hopefully.

Rolling his eyes, Ryan asked, "What's going on with you and Summer?"

"Well, it's funny you should ask, dude," Seth began, "I honestly have NO idea. I mean, she's definitely sending me vibes with the whole making out thing, and then there was the cuddling in our sleep thing, and the other random kisses she gave me over the past few days, and the heart wrenching conversation we had last night, and the looks and the-"

"Ok, Seth, I get the picture."

"It's just, I want her SO bad, man. I mean, not sexually, although that would be nice. I guess I just miss her companionship. It's felt like normal over the past couple days. Or as normal as it ever was at least," Seth sighed. "I don't know what to do, Ryan. It's like I know that she missed me and she knows that I missed her, and neither of us have been with anyone else, since, since-"

"February 14, 2007?" Ryan offered.

"Exactly." With neither man noticing Summer's sudden appearance in the doorway, Seth continued. "I love her. I mean, not just because she's hot, or beautiful, or funny, or whatever. But, she's just, she's just Summer. She's so smart, and she's the only woman I've ever known who can stand up to my amazing wit and sarcasm and WIN. I don't know. I know this is an incomprehensible rant, but the bottom line is-"

"She's the love of your life, you'll never find another to take her place, and you can't and won't ever be able to spend your life with anyone, unless it's her."

"Yes," Seth said softly, looking down. "When did you become so wise?"

"I didn't. I just know that that's exactly how I feel about Marissa," Ryan said, rising to leave the room.

"Where are you going, man? Leaving me hanging for the women?"

"No, I was just going to ask Marissa if-"

"Dinner's ready," Summer said softly, making her appearance noted. Ryan and Seth's eyes both got wide, and they looked at each other.

"Well, then," Seth said loudly. "Let's eat!" And the three awkwardly joined Marissa in the dining room.

Dinner went pretty smoothly, except for the occasional uncomfortable glance between Seth and Summer. Marissa and Ryan were both too wrapped up in telling each other how in love they were and talking about wedding details to pay attention, though. After saying goodbye, and planning to see each other on Friday night, before the newly engaged headed to Newport, Summer and Seth left.

The car ride was relatively awkward, but the two lightened up after the first five minutes and engaged in some light-hearted banter. As they pulled up to the front of the hotel, Seth opened his mouth to say goodbye, but stopped when Summer reached across and put her hand on Seth's mouth.

"Why don't you come up tonight?" Summer said, a shyness in her voice.

"Well, uh, it's, um, I," Seth stopped and let out a loud breath. "Ok, Summer," he said, resigning. He hopped out and went around to open her door. He quickly flipped his keys to the Valet attendant and the two walked in the hotel, both of their minds reeling.

**A/N Wouldn't you like to know what happens next? I guess you'll have to wait and see (until my next update pops up in about 20 minutes). Sorry for the delayed update today and the short chapter. Keep in mind, I am on a college schedule, so 2 am is still considered Weds. to me. Enjoy the O.C. tonight! Will Seth smoke pot! With Caitlin Cooper! Keep reviewing. Peace.**


	13. Sexy Surprises

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Thirteen: Sexy Surprises

When they reached the hotel room, Summer had excused herself so that she could go to the bedroom and change. She rifled through her underwear until she found the black lacy bra and panty set she had bought from Victoria's Secret two years earlier. She had refused to wear them for the longest time, because everyone knows why a girl chooses to wear black underwear, but tonight, she rationalized that they would probably be the 'most comfortable thing.'

After changing her undergarments she put on a silk lavender camisole and matching bottoms and went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.

As she walked out of the bathroom with her hair lying messily down her back and her pjs on, Seth swore that he had never seen her look more beautiful. He secretly wondered how it was possible for her to look more beautiful when she went without makeup, when for most other girls, it was the exact opposite.

"You look really pretty," Seth said, with a genuine smile.

"Shut up, Cohen," Summer replied, dipping her head from embarrassment. "It's a pair of pajamas. Not that special."

"I know. It's just, it amazes me how beautiful you can look without any product in your hair or makeup on your face," he said, voicing his internal monologue.

Quickly changing the topic away from herself, Summer offered ordering a bottle or two of wine from room service. Seth agreed, and she dismissed herself into the other room to make the call and give her skin a chance to return to its natural color.

The room service arrived and after a small debate, Seth opened the bottle of Pinot Grigio first. After pouring two glasses of wine, he walked over to where Summer was sitting and handed her one, taking the seat beside her. They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment.

"It's so crazy to think about our two best friends getting married," Summer started, quickly downing her glass of wine and pouring herself another.

"I know what you mean," Seth said, taking a large swig of wine, trying to keep up with Summer's pace.

"It's like just yesterday we were in high school."

"Going to the diner after school together."

"Causing drama. Or helping to solve their drama."

"Yeah, we didn't have too much drama."

"Cohen. We've had our fair share of drama."

"Yeah, but if there was a scale for like the magnitude of the dramatic event, the award would definitely go to the Ryrissa team."

"I guess. There WAS Oliver."

"Don't forget the pregnant ex-girlfriend."

"Need I bring up the felon brother who came to town only to be shot by Marissa after almost killing Ryan who came to fight him after finding out that he, on a previous occasion, tried to rape her?" Summer managed to say in one breath. Seth just laughed. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. I think it's safe to say that you can beat me in the longest sentence in one breath competition when you're drunk," Seth replied. "Oh, and we can't forget surfer Johnny. That was probably the longest bout of drama, so to speak."

"Ok, so they have all that," Summer paused, taking a sip from her fourth glass, "and we have Tahiti, Zach, Anna, Reid and the comic, and-"

"The second comic book project," Seth finished softly, moving to open a the bottle of Shiraz. "All things considered, I think we're amateurs in comparison to our best friends in the drama and angst category," he said, trying to lighten the obvious tension that had just entered the room. The two shared a laugh and realized that they were both well on their way to being drunk.

"Seth, I have a confession to make," Summer said, looking down with an almost shamed expression.

"Ok," he replied, sobering up for a moment.

"Well, earlier, when I went into the kitchen to talk to Marissa and you went into the living room to talk to Ryan, I kind of, may have, I don't know. I didn't want to interrupt, because I heard you talking, and then instead of going away, I listened, because what you were talking about was-"

"You," Seth said, shortly. He nodded his head repeatedly trying to form words, but quickly realized that his intoxicated mind was even worse than his sober mind at formulating coherent thoughts. "Summer, I'm sorry you heard that. I don't want you to be freaked out," he settled on finally, fixing his gaze to a spot on the floor.

"It's not that, Seth," she said in a small voice. "I mean, yeah, it freaked me out. But it was also reassuring," she paused to catch her breath and take a drink. "Reassuring that you expressed what I've been feeling since I first saw you in your office."

Seth's eyes shot up from the floor, and he tried to gauge Summer's emotion through her face. "That's, uh, well. What?"

"Why are we doing this? Hiding this?" Summer said, voice full of emotion and rising by the second. "We're 25 years old! Neither of us have had a second date or a one night stand in 6 years, because we've been waiting for each other!" Seth opened his mouth to say something, but Summer raised her hand to shush him. "And don't even THINK about saying you were the only one waiting, because you didn't attempt to contact me either."

Seth scooted closer to where Summer sat and turned her to face him, taking her hands into his. "Summer, we don't have to wait anymore. If you want this all you have to do is say the word." They sat for several seconds, gazing into each other's eyes trying to read the other's thoughts.

Summer inched her face closer to Seth's until he could almost taste the wine on her breath. After a moment's hesitation, she leaned the rest of the distance until her mouth crashed into his in a passionate kiss.

"Or you can do that, too. That works," Seth joked, breathlessly breaking away for a second, only to be quieted by Summer's lips attacking his again.

As the passion grew, Summer repositioned herself until she was straddling Seth's legs. She slowly grinded her hips into his and let out soft moans, as he left a trail of kisses down her neck. Seth's hands gripped on either side of Summer, moving her hips harder in motion with his own small thrusts.

Summer's shirt was the first article of clothing to hit the floor, but was soon followed by Seth's. As their hot skinned touched, Seth found himself quickly reaching the point of no return. He thought back to the other night, when Summer hadn't wanted their first time back together to occur when they were intoxicated. Right as she reached her hands down to his belt buckle, Seth, despite his desires, reached down to stop her action.

"Oh, so now you want to make this more difficult?" Summer giggled, fighting to get her hands away from Seth.

"Summer, seriously," Seth said, letting a soft smile playing on his grace his lips before a more serious look took over. "We have to stop."

Realizing that Seth was applying the rules of Monday night to tonight's main event, Summer began shaking her head. "No, Cohen. Fuck what I said the other night. That was the first time we saw each other, before I was really aware of what was happening between us. Tonight, we know, without doubt, that we are still in love, and we need to seize this opportunity." Seth looked unconvinced. "I'll let you give me a field sobriety test," Summer joked with a seductive smile.

Seth leaned his head back and rubbed his hands over his face before reinitiating the eye contact between himself and Summer. "You know I can't resist you and your smile. But I have one condition."

"What's that?" Summer asked, willing to do whatever it took to get him to make love to her.

"In the morning, you still have to love me, no matter what," Seth said, softly.

Summer smiled and took Seth's face in her hands. "I could never NOT love you, Cohen." She paused. "But you do have to catch me first," and with that she ran into the bedroom and collapsed on the bed where Seth pounced on top of her.

"I love you, Seth," Summer said, breathless from laughter.

"I love you, too, Sum," he said, smoothing the hair from her face. He leaned in and gave her the sweetest and softest kiss she had ever had, before he slowly reached down to remove the rest of her clothes.

Summer woke up around 8 a.m. at the sound of a knock on her door. She cuddled into Seth's embrace, hoping that it would cease, but after about 2 minutes, she realized whoever was at the door wasn't going away.

She sighed and rose from her bed, careful not to wake Seth. She looked down at Seth as she donned her robe and couldn't help but smile at how adorable he looked in his sleep. Biting her lip to contain the giggle that was about to escape, she exited the bedroom and headed to the door.

When she opened it, she was shocked to see Charley standing there with a suit case and Blanche's pet carrier. "Oh my God, Charley!" Summer exclaimed reaching out to hug her editor and friend. "Blanche!" She said, breaking away to retrieve her dog from her carrier. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, are you going to invite us in or what!" Charley said before answering the question. Summer looked apprehensively at the closed bedroom door before stepping out of the way to let her boss into the suite. "You said you wanted your dog with you on vacation, and rather than having someone else do it, I decided I could use a two day vacation, so I came to see you and to hopefully meet Mr. Dimples."

"You are a relentless meddler," she replied, giving Charley an amused smile while Blanche licked her face. The women sat in silence for a couple of seconds while Summer got reacquainted with her 'baby.'

The silence was finally broken by the sound of the bedroom door opening to reveal a half naked Seth. Both women looked over, Charley with a look of amusement and Summer with a look of absolute horror.

"It looks like I won't have to wait too long to meet him after all!" the older woman said, laughing mischievously. Seth just smiled and waved, as the redness quickly overtook his face.

**A/N I hope you guys like this chapter. I was going to hold off from the inevitable Seth/Summer hookup, but I couldn't stand it any longer. Charley will stay for a couple of chapters (it's Thursday now, she leaves Friday) and then we will get some Ryrissa, Sethummer, and Kandy action when Summer and Seth go with Ryan and Marissa as they make 'the announcement.' Keep readin', reviewin' and enjoyin' the story. Peace.**


	14. The Offer

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Fourteen: The Offer

After Seth's awkward entrance, Summer made introductions, before excusing herself and Seth to get dressed. When she entered the room, dragging him behind her, Summer let out a huge breath that she had been holding.

"Could that have BEEN more awkward!"

"Well, I was going to come out naked to see what you were doing," Seth said, an amused look on his face.

"The question was more rhetorical, Seth," Summer snapped back.

He crossed to where she stood by the dresser and crooked his finger under her chin to tilt her head upward. As soon as their eyes met, the features on Summer's face softened. "Last night was," Seth paused. "I don't know. You are perfect. I, I don't think that I'll ever be able to forget it."

"Cohen," Summer breathed, unable to say anything but his name. "I'm sorry for snapping. It's just like you said, last night was amazing. And I wasn't really expecting THAT," she motioned towards the other room, "when we woke up in each other's arms." Seth opened his mouth, as if to say something else, but instead just shut it and bent down to lay a soft, yet passionate kiss on Summer's lips.

At first she was taken aback, but Summer soon opened her lips allowing Seth's tongue to enter her mouth. They stood near the dresser passionately kissing until he began steering her body towards the waiting bed. As they fell back, Summer broke away from the kiss, catching her breath.

"Do you think we can do this quickly and quietly?" she asked, before hungrily attacking his lips again.

"Mmm, hmm," Seth murmured against her lips, not wanting to stop what they were about to start.

Fifteen minutes later a flush-faced Summer exited the bedroom wearing slim fit jeans, a royal blue off the shoulder cashmere sweater, and a pair of six inch gold stiletto sandals. Charley turned her attention away from the dog and raised a questioning eyebrow at Summer.

"What?" Summer questioned, feigning innocence.

"Summer, baby, you're an amateur. If you didn't want me to know you were having sex, you should have tried moving the bed away from the wall," her boss said matter-of-factly. Summer's face turned bright red with embarrassment. "Oh, dear, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. I've never seen you look so happy in the 4 years that I've known you."

Seth soon walked out of the room dressed in a striped collared shirt, relaxed jeans and penguin track shoes. He walked over to the couch and picked up Blanche, who instantly started licking his face. "Sorry about this morning, Charley. I'm sure you hadn't planned on seeing a half naked man at 8 a.m.," he said, smiling.

"Oh, it's ok, honey. I'm just glad to see Summer finally using her body as God intended it to be used," she replied straight faced, only erupting into giggles when she realized that Seth and Summer had matching red faces. "You two are too much! You're young, in love, yet so private about your sex lives. Summer, if I landed a guy with those sweet dimples and slim body, I'd be shouting it from the roof tops," the older woman said, turning to look at the younger woman. She then turned to Seth. "And you! You just got laid by one of the sweetest, wittiest, most gorgeous young women I have ever met."

Charley paused for a moment and shook her head. "Young people these days are so crazy. You two are lucky to have each other, though."

"Right, Charley, thanks for that," Summer inserted quickly, trying to shift the topic of conversation. "So, what did you have planned for your visit? Were you going to get your own room? Or would you like to stay in mine and I can stay somewhere else for a couple of days?"

"Oh, sunshine, don't be silly. I'll get my own room."

"Sum, you can stay with me if you need to," Seth offered.

Before Summer could get an answer out of her mouth, Charley put her two cents in. "What a great idea, Seth!" she exclaimed, winking at Summer. "And seeing as you two are SLEEPING together, you won't even need to messy up a guest room."

"Charley, I love you almost as most as anyone, but you are sometimes SO maddening," Summer said, only causing more mischievous laughter from her editor. Summer just sighed. "But you actually have a good point, so I'll stay with Seth until you go back to New York."

"Ok, well, I'd love to stay and socialize, but I do have a business to run, or at least PRETEND to run," Seth cut in, giving the women a sweet smile. "Charley, it was great meeting you, but I'm sure I'll get a chance to see you more while you're in."

"Actually, Summer missed this Tuesday at the martini bar, so I was hoping we could find one around here, invite some friends. It would be great fun," Charley said.

"Sounds good. Just call me and give me the details around lunchtime," he said, excited at the prospect of talking with someone who was actually with Summer over the last couple of years. "Summer," Seth said softly, nodding a farewell in her direction.

"Cohen," Summer said back, smiling coyly. "I'll walk you to the elevator," she added, reaching for his hand and dragging him out of the room.

"She's great!" Seth said, when he and Summer were alone, waiting for the elevator.

"She is something," she replied in a funny tone. "But I do love her."

"And I love you," he said, placing a soft kiss on her mouth as the elevator dinged to indicate its arrival.

"I love you, too," Summer said back against his lips, pressing against them for one final time. "Have fun at work," she said as she pushed him into the elevator.

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be fantastic," he said dryly, giving Summer one last smile. When the doors were closed, she melted back against the wall and let out a giddy shriek.

Suddenly, the door from her room opened and Charley appeared in the doorway with Blanche in her arms. "I so love the man that invented the peephole," she said, shooting Summer a wide grin.

"Woman! You are horrible," Summer yelled as she followed her friend back into the room.

Summer and Charley spent the rest of the day shopping on Rodeo Drive. Summer carried Blanche on her arm in a chic and not too cheesy designer pet purse. After hitting all of Charley's favorite designers, the three stopped off to rest at a small, upscale, outdoor café called Renaldo's.

"Summer, I have to be honest with you, I came out here to for reasons other than bringing you your precious pooky," Charley said, turning the light hearted small talk into a more serious discussion.

"What is it?" Summer asked, unsure of whether or not to be worried or intrigued.

"You know Kandice, the assistant editor for the Style pages, right?" the editor questioned, waiting for Summer to confirm or deny. As the younger woman nodded, Charley continued. "Well, she has recently decided that she feels the morals portrayed in our magazine do not fit with her personal 'standards,' so to speak."

"Are you serious?" Summer asked, shocked. "Are you saying she quit?"

"Yes, she did. And we desperately need someone in the next month to replace her," she replied, giving her employee a soft smile. "I think you know what I'm saying here, Summer. I met with the other editors and publisher this week, and none of us could think of a better candidate for the job than you."

Summer's jaw dropped to the floor. Or at least that's how she felt. Her mind was reeling while her stomach was churning. The editor-in-chief of Cosmo, who also happened to be her boss and one of her most reliable confidantes was asking her to consider a position as assistant editor of style-undoubtedly one of the magazine's largest sections. Finally realizing it was her turn to speak, she opened her mouth to say something. "I, well, uh, Charley, are you serious!"

"Quite serious, my dear. Now, I know that you are technically supposed to be enjoying your vacation right now, but after the meeting, I needed to talk to you. Summer, I really want you to do this. I think it would be a fantastic opportunity. For someone your age especially."

"Oh my god. This really is happening," Summer said, speaking more to herself than to Charley. "You're right, I definitely do need time to think about it." She paused. "But don't get me wrong. I am VERY interested."

"I knew you would be, dear, but I wanted to give you time to think about things yourself before the magazine tried to throw any official contracts your way," Charley said, reaching her hand across the table to touch Summer's. "I know it must be weird for you right now with Seth and all, I just thought that you might want to know that you have people and opportunities waiting for you back in New York."

Summer could not take sitting at the café any longer. "Charley, I'm not trying to be offensive, but I think I just need to walk for a little while, think about things." Charley nodded in understanding. "But we are going to the martini bar Seth suggested tonight, right?"

"Of course, my love. I can hardly wait," she replied as she rose to give Summer a farewell hug. "Just think about the offer whenever you get the chance."

"I will," Summer said in a barely audible whisper before walking away from the table. "See you tonight," she threw back over her shoulder, turning around and giving Charley one last glance, before heading toward beach.

**A/N Ok, sorry it took a little while for this update. I hope that this chapter was ok. On to the real O.C. Did anyone else think that Seth being high was kind of cute! I thought it was hilarious. I am also thinking that this whole thing might be a way that Josh is trying to keep the show together for a fourth season. Let me know what you think (about the chapter and the show). Peace.**


	15. The Great Wall of Summer

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Fifteen: The Great Wall of Summer

After walking on the beach for a couple of hours and thinking about things, Summer headed to the pier and called Maury to pick her up. As they drove to Seth's, where her luggage had been moved earlier in the day, Summer told a questioning Maury about the dilemma she was facing.

"Since we broke up 6 years ago, I worked my ass off in college and at the magazine. I've done everything over the past 4 years at the magazine to get an opportunity like this," Summer said, sounding truly conflicted. "It's just not fair. I mean, in some ways, I wish I never had to come back. But then, there's Seth," she finished, trailing off.

"Well, I'm going to sugar coat it, you're in quite a bind, Ms. Roberts," the driver replied.

"Maury, it's Summer."

"Ok, Summer. Ask yourself what means more to you," he paused contemplating something. "Actually, scratch that. Ask what means the most to you right now. At this point in your life. Obviously you and Seth have something that comes once in a lifetime. From what little I've seen, the way you look at each other is unbelievable. The way you are when you talk about him. I know that you love him."

He glanced over at Summer, who stared out the window. "Now, you have to think, if your love has lasted through everything that it has already, will it ever not last?" he finished softly.

"I see your point. It's just this situation—it's impossible," she said frustratedly.

"I'm going to make a suggestion," the driver said, pulling up in front of Seth's building. "Tonight, just go out and have a great time. And tomorrow, try to think about it again. Sometimes it takes a lot of time to make a huge decision like this."

"Thanks a lot, Maury," Summer said, offering him a sweet smile before getting out. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I should wait until tomorrow."

After Summer had arrived at Seth's she took a shower and began getting ready to meet her friends. Seth arrived home at a half an hour before game time to a locked bathroom door.

"Summer, are you almost ready?" he said, knocking to see if she was alive.

"Yeah, Cohen, five more minutes." Six minutes later, Summer walked out of the bathroom, dressed to kill in a deep plum cocktail dress with silver sandals and jewelry.

"It was worth waiting the extra minute," Seth said, smiling in awe at her. Summer just rolled her eyes and collected her purse and a sweater for her shoulders.

"Let's go, Cohen, we can't let them wait all night," she said, walking towards the apartment door.

"Whoa, is something wrong, Summer?" Seth said, confused at her cold demeanor and lack of kiss.

"No, I just don't want to be late," she said, ending any discussion that was on the brink of being started.

"Ok, then." Seth grabbed his keys, wallet and a jacket and walked swiftly out the door in an attempt to keep up with Summer.

Suddenly stopping, she turned around, thought evident in the wrinkle lines on her forehead. "Do you think Rooney and Blanche will get along?"

"I locked Rooney in my bedroom. He's fine in there for the night," Seth responded, hoping to segway into more conversation.

"Ok, good," Summer said shortly, continuing the walk towards the sidewalk to the spot where Maury and Charley were meeting them. He stood for a moment, staring after her, knowing before the night was over, he would have to break down the wall that she had obviously built up throughout the course of the day.

Ryan and Seth were walking back from the bar carrying theirs and the ladies fourth rounds when Seth's night took a turn for the worse. Things were already pretty rocky between he and Summer, seeing as she had said no more than 17 words in his direction the whole night (yes, he counted), but when he returned to the table with drinks for himself, Summer and Charley to find some young, attractive, water-polo looking guy sitting—actually, in HIS chair next to Summer—flirting with the love of his life, he was pretty upset.

"Oh, Cohen, thanks for the drink," Summer exclaimed tipsily, taking it from his hand and turning her attention towards the guy of Seth's nightmares. He cleared his throat before taking the seat next to dousche-bag the wonder boy. "How silly of me," Summer said, giggling. "Cohen, Ryan, this is Aiden. Aiden, Ryan, Cohen."

"Nice to meet you," Seth said through gritted teeth.

"You too, man," Aiden said, shaking Seth's hand and then greeting Ryan.

"Aiden is a personal financial planner for the Harsky, Stitch and Rott corporation," Summer said, eyes locking with Seth's.

"Well, nothing beats a good financial planner," Seth said dryly, maintaining eye contact with Summer.

"I feel like I'm stepping on some toes here. I'm just going to go sit back over by my friends," Aiden said, standing up.

"No!" Seth and Summer said in unison. Summer reached her hand out and placed it on Aiden's arm. "We would all love it for you to stay here. Wouldn't we guys?" Summer said, motioning towards her friends. Everyone just stared until Seth spoke up.

"I think it's a great idea," he said, turning away from Summer and starting in on a conversation with Charley.

Besides the tension between Seth and Summer, the night was pretty fun. After about 4 hours, everyone was pretty drunk, even Ryan, so the group decided to call it a night.  
Aiden tried for Summer's number in the end, but she casually declined, before she, Charley, and Seth piled in the back of the limo. Seth and Summer were the first stop.

"You two be good now," Charley said teasingly, giving them each a hug.

"That shouldn't be a problem tonight," Seth mumbled defeatedly, shutting the door and waving goodbye to Maury. He and Summer ascended the stairs in silence, and when they reached the apartment, Summer made a beeline for the bathroom with her pajamas and toiletries and locked the door behind her.

Seth went to his room and picked up his cat, who purred softly as he petted him. "I wish Summer would be more like you," he said sadly. He set the cat down on his bed and changed into his pajama pants and undershirt. When he came out of the bedroom, Summer sat on the couch in her silk pajamas, the remote in one hand and the other petting Blanche. After many moments of silence, Seth decided to talk.

"So, are you going to tell me what tonight was all about, or are we just not going to talk and go to sleep wandering?"

"He was just a guy I was talking to at a bar," Summer replied nonchalantly.

Seth shook his head, "As disappointed as I am that you would flirt shamelessly with some chest-shaving dousche bag, I was actually referring to your avoidance of me all night. And the fact that something is clearly wrong with you."

"Seth, for the last time, nothing is wrong," she said sternly.

"Ok, now I know you're lying."

"How's that?"

"Well, the only times you call me Seth are when you are a) pissed at me, b)having a moment with me, or c)trying to avoid telling me what's wrong. Since the first two possibilities seem out of the question, I think the latter is the most reasonable assumption. The second thing is, every guy knows that when you ask a girl what's wrong and she says that it's nothing, there is always something wrong."

"Cohen, whatever you just rambled out is illogical. So I would suggest that if you value your life, quit asking me what's wrong," Summer snapped with full attitude.

"I hope you're not threatening me with a rage blackout, Summer, because as scary as they can be, they've never caused me to stop annoying you," Seth said back, still relentlessly seeking the truth from her.

"That's no lie. You are ALWAYS annoying," she said, trying to cut him deeper.

"Ok, so now you're insulting me. Again, I ask, What. Is. Wrong?" Seth stared Summer down, trying, at no avail, to catch her eyes, before finally walking over to kneel in front of her and force her to look at him. When Summer met his gaze her eyes filled up with tears, and Seth became more worried than he had been all night.

He reached out and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms tightly around her. He soothingly rubbed her back, and held her at arm's length, sweeping the hair form her eyes. "You can tell me, Summer. Whatever it is," he said softly.

Summer sat for a minute more in his arms, getting back her composure before reconstructing her wall. "Cohen, I said leave me alone, so just do it. I'm sleeping on the couch, and you're sleeping in your bed, so why don't you go there?" she said coldly, pushing away from him.

"Fine," he replied, rejected, as he stood to go to his room.

It was 1 a.m., approximately two hours since the Seth/Summer blow out, and Seth lay in his bed with Rooney on his chest, still unable to sleep. He tried desperately to think about what could be bothering Summer, but every time he constructed a new solution in his head, he quickly shook it away.

The only thing he could think was that she might have regretted the two of them sleeping together and being together since she'd been in town, but he was unwilling to accept that as the motive of her bipolar behavior. Sighing to himself, he continued to stare at the ceiling thinking of what had went wrong throughout the day.

Meanwhile, Summer lay on the couch with Blanche nestled in her arms. She didn't know why she was resorting to the classic Roberts defense mechanism, but she couldn't help it. She didn't know what she was going to do about her Seth/job predicament and until she knew, she was not going to be sharing her bed with anyone.

But the more she thought about it, the more she thought of how unreasonable she was being. After all, Seth didn't do anything wrong. Yet she was still punishing him. And if she slept with Seth tonight, like, ACTUALLY slept, it wouldn't be that bad. And it still wouldn't be in HER bed, anyway.

Letting out a deep sigh and cradling Blanche in one arm, Summer threw off the covers and stepped off of the couch, softly padding towards Seth's room. When she opened the door, she thought Seth was sleeping, so she slowly creeped towards the bed. At about the halfway point, she was stopped in her tracks.

"What are you doing, Summer?" Seth asked, in a surprised voice, as he brought himself up to a sitting position.

"Hi," she said, attempting a small smile. She threw her glance to the floor. "I was just, well, we," she motioned to Blanche, "were just cold, so we were going to join you in bed."

A soft smile began to form on Seth's lips and he couldn't resist a joke. "I knew you couldn't resist me for a whole night, Summer Roberts. You're so predictable," he sighed, laying back in bed and pulling back the covers for her.

Summer placed Blanche at the foot of the bed near Rooney and hopped into bed with Seth. They lay on the pillows facing each other, Seth's arms around Summer, Summer's legs around Seth. Before he could ask the question forming on his face, she laid her fingers on his lips. "I promise, when the time comes, I will tell you what's going on, but until then, just hold me."

Seth paused, taking a moment to take what she said seriously before finally resigning to give her time. "I think that is something that I might actually be good at it," Seth said, smiling before taking her into his arms.

"Well, I didn't' say you were good at it," Summer joked, laughing into Seth's chest, relieved to have postponed the inevitable decision for another day.

**A/N This chapter got a little cheesy at the end, but I hope you guys liked it. I wanted to let everyone know/give me advice about the idea of turning this into a series. I'm not sure that I want to cut the story short by having Seth and Summer somehow live happily ever after at the end. I'm thinking of making a trilogy. Let me know what anyone thinks about this stuff.**


	16. Gathering Information

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Sixteen: Gathering Information

The next morning, Summer woke up rather early, and decided to take Blanche for a walk on the beach. It was Friday, and Charley's flight for New York would depart at 4:15 p.m. Summer would spend the first part of her afternoon interviewing Ryan.

Seth and Summer had planned to lay low on Friday night, and Saturday morning they were leaving with Ryan and Marissa at 10 a.m. to head back to Newport. Summer tried to contact her dad to tell him that she was in town, but being the predictable man he was, she was not surprised to find out that he and the new stepmonster were out of the country.

As she walked down the beach, Summer thought about what to do with Seth. She knew that she could not go back to her life in New York as it had been. She had never exactly stopped loving Seth or thinking about him, but she had finally reached a point in her life where she realized that nothing would probably ever happen between them again. That was before she got her big assignment. From the moment she had first seen him in his office until now, standing on the beach, she never wanted to be away from him again.

But then there was her life in New York. She loved living in her apartment on Fifth Avenue with Blanche. She loved living life on her own terms. And most of all, she loved her career, because it was something that she had worked her ass off for, and it finally seemed like all the work she had done had been worthwhile.

Noticing that she had walked a long way away from Seth's, she turned around and started walking back. She saw a tall figure approaching her in the distance, and as she got closer, she smiled, realizing that it was Seth.

"Good morning, Summer," he said, out of breath, when he got into ear shot.

"Hey Cohen," she replied, stopping and smiling sweetly at him. "How'd you know where to find me?"

"I don't know. I just knew that whatever was bothering you was probably something that you'd want to think about, and I know that you always come out here to think. Well, at least when you're in California." Seth paused for a moment. "Where does one go to think in New York?"

Summer laughed a little. "I like to go to my roof. I guess it doesn't seem like it would be that peaceful to some, but I think the whirr of the cars going by and the feel of the cool air is really soothing," she said, looking down. Seth smiled a very intrigued smile, before looking off into the distance. Noticing his sudden silence, Summer took a sideways glance at him. "What are you thinking about, Cohen?"

He shook himself out of his thoughts and met her gaze with a soft smile. "I don't know. I guess it's just like, ever since you got here, I've felt like nothing's really changed between us. But when you talk about your life in New York, I realize that I've missed so much."

Summer nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean," she said softly.

"Summer, would you please tell me what's bothering you? I just want to help," Seth pleaded.

She looked up into his eyes, but then quickly looked down, realizing how vulnerable she was becoming. She took a deep breath and looked up at him again. "Seth, I just really need some time, ok? All I need from you is your support and understanding." She paused and looked down at her watch. "It's 8:30. We better get back and get ready for work," she finished, pulling on Blanche's leash to get her attention.

"Ok," Seth replied, a look of confusion and hurt in his eyes. As the two walked back, Seth told himself that he had to respect Summer's wishes and let her have some time. His bones just ached at the thought that something was really bothering her, and he couldn't know about it, especially after all they had shared in the last five days.

Back at the penthouse, Summer and Seth hurried to get ready for work, doing so in relative silence. Summer had her big interview with Ryan today after lunch, and Seth had to sort through the 100+ applications and resumes that had passed over his desk since he had posted the VP position two days ago.

Summer walked out of the bathroom, and Seth walked out of the bedroom at the exact same time. They looked at each other and laughed a little bit at the humor of the situation. Seth turned serious and walked over to Summer taking her in his arms. "I just want you to know that I love you Summer, and I hope you find a way to figure out whatever it is that is bothering you," he said sincerely.

Summer felt a lump rise up in her throat and felt tears spring to the corners of her eyes. She pushed her face into Seth's chest, gave him one final squeeze, and pushed away to meet his eyes. "I love you, too. Have a good day at work," she said, forcing a small smile. With that, Summer walked across the room and grabbed her briefcase. She was going to spend a few hours at a coffee shop before her interview with Ryan, preparing some notes, and also writing some drafts for her story.

As she walked out the apartment door, Seth looked after her, worried. He could tell something was really bothering her, but he wasn't quite sure what it was, even after much contemplation. Realizing it was after nine, he quickly gathered his things, said goodbye to Rooney and Blanche, and headed out to his car.

When 1 o'clock rolled around, Summer found herself in front of Atwood and Associates Architectural firm. The building the business was run out of was brilliant, designed by the president himself, and Summer felt somehow very touched by one of her best friend's talent.

After walking in and waiting for the secretary's approval to enter the office, Summer walked in and laughed at the sight of Ryan playing PS2. "So this is what the big hot-shot architects and entrepreneurs do all day, huh?" she joked.

"Oh, hey, Summer," Ryan said, quickly putting down his remote and rising to greet her. "What can I say? It's the only way I'd ever beat Seth," he said with a sheepish smile.

"So, where do you want to do this?" Summer asked, motioning between the sitting area and the desk.

"Summer, you act like we're not friends. I have a feeling this is going to be pretty casual," he said, allowing himself to sit in one of the leather arm chairs.

As Summer sat down and got out her recorder, Ryan watched her face intently. "What, Chino?" she said finally, using his old 'pet' name from high school. "Do I have something on my face from lunch?"

"No, no," Ryan said, looking down in embarrassment. "It's just that, I had lunch with Seth today," he said, quickly glancing up to search Summer's eyes for her reaction.

"Oh my god," she said, seemingly frustrated. "What did he tell you!"

Actually, nothing. Which makes me think something's wrong between you two. He barely touched his Pad Thai. He sat with Captain Oats propped on his chest all throughout lunch, and to top it off, I think he said like two words the entire time. He made me sound talkative."

Summer's face dropped and a wave of sadness washed over her. "Oh," she said softly. Not willing to allow her personal life to interfere with her professional life, she shook her head and started her recorder. "So, what's it like coming from such humble beginnings and now being one of the most successful architects in the business at 25?" Summer asked, daring Ryan with her eyes to ask anymore personal questions.

"Well," he said, clearing his throat, and the interview went on from there. Summer asked him questions from details of Marissa and his relationship to what his favorite weekend activities were over the next 2 hours. At the end, the two talked about their plans to head back to Newport for the following day, and then Summer rose to leave.

"Summer, I know you don't want to talk about whatever it is that's bothering you, but don't take it out on Seth," Ryan said seriously, reaching over to touch her arm. "He loves you. Don't doubt that."

"I know, Ryan," she said, meeting his eyes. "And I love him back, just as much, but sometimes love is not easy, especially when we both have so much going on in our lives." Ryan raised an eyebrow at this comment.

Summer realized that she might have said a little too much, so she quickly gave Ryan a hug and walked towards the door. "Thanks for your time, Atwood. And thanks for the advice, too. I'll keep it in mind," she said, giving him a thoughtful smile before leaving.

Giving enough time for Summer to leave the building, Ryan put in a call to Seth. "Hey buddy, it's me. I didn't get much, but I might have some insight…ok…yeah…I'll be there in about an hour…alright…Seth, I'm not going to say I love you…ok, fine…ditto…bye." Ryan shook his head and hung up the phone.

"So, you think it has something to do with our careers? I mean, do you think that she thinks that my career would force her to move back to California, or do you think that she has something big going on in her career? Oh my god, does she think that she would like ruin my life or something? Because seriously, man, you know that I would do anything to have her back. Do you think that she thinks this," Seth paused, motioning around his office, "means more to me than her? Because that is totally not what I've been trying to convey to her."

Ryan's eyes were wide, as he stared in amazement at yet another Seth Cohen ramble. It had only been the twentieth in the course of an hour, but he didn't understand how one simple phrase from Summer could elicit twenty ramblings from his brother. "How do you do that, Seth? I told you, all she said was that it's complicated because of all that the two of you have going on in your lives."

"Sorry, Ryan," he said softly, feeling bad for making his brother listen to his incoherent rants. "I just can't lose her this time. I won't. Whatever it takes. I just wish she would talk to me," he finished sadly.

"I know, man," Ryan said, feeling slightly bad. He reached over and patted Seth on the shoulder. "It'll all work out. Just give her some time to tell you. I mean, you guys should still hang out and stuff, but I could tell she was pretty stressed. Just be patient."

"Right, because that's always been one of my strong suits," he replied, dryly.

"Hey, you're being sarcastic again! I thought I'd lost you for a moment," Ryan said, jokingly.

"Dude, how many times do I have to tell you?—"

"Right, I'm not the funny one, I know," Ryan said, rejected, and the two brothers shared a laugh.

Seth returned home to an empty apartment, but soon noticed a piece of paper on the kitchen table.

"_Cohen,_

_I rode with Maury to take Charley to the airport. I'll be back around 5:30 or 6:00, depending on traffic. I thought we could have movie night tonight. You order the pizza, I'll pick up some rentals. You know what I like._

_Love,_

_Summer"_

Seth smiled at the note and picked up the phone to order the pizza. "Hi, it's for delivery. I need one large pizza, half veggie lover's, half pepperoni, and then, a 2-liter of Dr. Pepper, please."

Summer sat in the front seat of the limo, replaying the things that her boss had said to her at the airport.

"_Summer, dear. I don't want you to be so stressed out about this decision. If you need to stay here and be with Seth, I understand. I once heard this quote that said, 'What if finding the love of your life meant changing the life that you love?' I know that it doesn't really offer you much help, but maybe you have to change some things to make it work," Charley said, taking Summer into a large hug. "I love you so much, Summer. As much as I want to be selfish and tell you to take the job, I just want you to be happy."_

_Summer's eyes teared up and she hugged her boss back tightly. "I love you, too, Charley. I haven't made my mind up yet. But I'll let you know soon."_

Maury pulled up in front of Seth's and came around to open up the door for Summer. "If you don't mind me saying so, you should smile more," Maury said, shaking Summer out of her reverie. "You have one of those smiles that could light up someone's world."

"Thanks, Maury," Summer said, grinning from ear to ear. "I'll keep that in mind," she said, waving goodbye and walking into Seth's building.

"Oh, Summer," Maury yelled, running towards her. "Don't forget these!" He held up the two DVDs that they had stopped to rent on the way back to the apartment.

"Oh, yeah, movie night. Thanks Maury," she smiled, and stepped into the elevator that had just arrived.

**A/N Thanks for all of the good reviews and encouragement. I'm trying to pump this one out as fast as I can. I think I'll have it done by next weekend, and then I'll take a break for a couple of days and start on part 2. I think that this one will end by around Chapter 30, and in terms of the story will be in Summer's second week there. She might end up cutting her vacation short though, so beware. Review, please. Peace**

**A/N2 Thanks to kalexgurl for that quote in Charley's speech. I liked it, so I ripped it off 0)**


	17. Movie Night

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Seventeen: Movie Night

"Summer, I'm amazed that you chose an independent film," Seth said between bites, referring to her choice of 'The Machinist.'

"What can I say? Being in New York has made me appreciate the smaller features a lot more. Plus, you can never argue with Christian Bale," she smiled.

"I knew there had to be some shallow reason why you chose this movie," he commented dryly, only to receive a sidearmed whack by Summer. "Hey, Ow! You have to admit that IS pretty shallow reasoning."

"I was kidding, Cohen! Can't a girl just appreciate a fine cinematic masterpiece for what it is?" she asked, attempting to defend her honor.

"Sure, Summer, but when you find the need to insert comments about the lead actor, it makes one wonder, if that's really why you got it," Seth said.

"You always have to have the last word, don't you, Cohen?"

"No!"

"Yes…"

"No…"

"Yes…"

"Look at you, Summer. Isn't that a bit like the pot calling the kettle black?"

"Cohen, you better watch what you say."

"Why, Summer?"

Summer thought for a moment, and a mischievous grin took over her face. "If you don't let me have the last word, I won't have sex with you. EVER." Seth's face fell deadly serious, and his mouth closed to form a straight line. She watched him for a moment with a completely straight face, but not being able to hold it any longer, burst into a fit a giggles. "I win! I win!"

Seth moved to pop in the second DVD, Good Will Hunting, as Summer went into the bedroom and got out a blanket. The two met back at the couch, and laid down in a spooning position. Just as the movie was about to start, Summer turned over and faced Seth. "Can we not watch this movie?" She asked.

"Sure," he replied, quickly movie to turn of the DVD player and TV. He moved back over to rejoin Summer on the couch, and they lay in silence for a few minutes, looking into each other's eyes and cuddling. Summer's hand moved up to caress Seth's stubbly face, and he noticed the feeling of cold metal. "Hey, you're still wearing this," he said, taking her hand is his and examining the ring.

"Yeah," she said softly, keeping his eye contact. "Seth, I want to tell you something, but I don't really want a lot of feedback right now. I just feel like explaining the situation to you, ok?" she asked.

Seth looked into her eyes and nodded in understanding. "Whatever you need, I'm here. I can listen."

"Good," she said, clearing her throat to begin. "Ok, well before I came back here, I had kind of moved on with my life. Not relationship wise," she quickly clarified as a worried expression covered Seth's face, "but just mentally. I mean, I never stopped thinking about you or loving you, but after six years, I never really expected for us to be like this again," she said, motioning between their bodies.

"So, I came here for this assignment, and the moment I saw you, I felt like I was taken back to six years and two months ago, when things were perfect between us, and we were invincible. I couldn't even remember why we broke up, or what had gone wrong. It was like all I could remember was how in love I was," Summer paused and Seth gave her a soft smile, to assure her that he felt the same way. "Charley didn't just come to California for a visit," Summer said softly, looking down. After several minutes of silence, Seth moved his hand to tilt her chin upward.

"Summer, whatever it is, you can say it. I love you, and that's not going to change," he assured her, both with his words and with the love that was evident in his deep brown eyes.

Summer nodded and continued. "She came to offer me a job as assistant editor of the style pages. It's our biggest section, and I would be the youngest person to ever get an assistant editor position. It's a pretty huge deal."

Seth smiled widely. "I'm so proud of you, Summer, that's great."

Summer raised an eyebrow of confusion at Seth. "Don't you understand what I'm getting at here, Cohen? I'm in love with you. I realized that I can never go back to the way life was without you. But the biggest opportunity of my professional life is waiting for me—3000 miles away!"

Seth tightened his embrace around Summer's body and snuggled his head into her neck. "I get it, Summer, I do. But you have to know that everything will work out. We'll find a way to make things work," he said, calmly trying to reassure her.

"I don't know how we can, Seth. You run a multi-million dollar company that is based out of Los Angeles. You can't just up and leave. And I have a job opportunity that would pave the way for me to be an executive editor on the biggest women's magazine in the world…in New York. How can that work?" she demanded.

"I'm not saying it would be easy," Seth said, bringing himself and Summer up until they were seated face to face, "but if anyone could do it, it would be us," he finished, stroking her cheek.

"I know, Cohen," she said, covering his hand with hers. "I know it could work. But I don't want us to just be a weekend thing, or a couple of days a week. I can't live without you anymore," she cried, finally letting her wall come all the way down.

Seth pulled her to his chest and rubbed his fingertips up and down her back. Despite the broken woman he held in his arms, he felt somehow relieved to hear the truth behind Summer's problem. He thought that it would be something much worse, like Summer didn't love him anymore but this problem, it just seemed so minute in comparison to what he had been thinking. Seth finally broke the silence that they had sat in for many minutes now.

"Summer, I have a proposal for you," Seth said, trying to comfort her by wearing a smile on his face.

"What's that, Cohen?" she asked, feeling herself fall prey to his cute dimples.

"How about we cross this bridge when we get there? Because right now, all I want to do is enjoy the time that we do have together," he took her hand in his. "We've missed six years of life together. I don't think we can afford to worry about the future right now. We just have to enjoy what we have, and when we get to the day that you have to make a decision, you can make it knowing that we haven't wasted any time that we've spent together.

Summer just smiled in amazement, tears threatening to fall at the rims of her eyes. "How do you do that, Cohen? You always know exactly what to say to make me smile."

"What can I say, it's a gift," he said cockily, earning another smack from Summer. "You always know how to bring me back down to earth, woman."

"Well, somebody's got to," she teased, before he reached in and started tickling her.

It was now 2 a.m., and Seth and Summer sat, sharing a bubble bath in Seth's huge Jacuzzi. They sat face to face, legs intertwined each with huge champagne induced smiles on their faces.

"Let's play that one game, where you say two things, and then the person has to say which they like better. You know, like they do in all those cheesy romantic comedies?" Summer said drunkenly, sinking her body further under the water to combat the draft.

"Ok, so which do you like better, Coke or Pepsi?" Seth asked, starting the game.

"Neither, Dr. Pepper, you know that!" Summer exclaimed.

"Yeah, me too. I just thought it would be fun. Ok, so Vanilla or Chocolate?" Summer just rolled her eyes. "Right, Chocolate, me too. Wow, Summer, we really have a lot in common," Seth said with a cheeky smile. "Ok, um, Death Cab or Bright Eyes."

"Definitely Death Cab," Summer replied without hesitation, "Same for you?" Seth confirmed with a nod. "Ok, what about Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson?"

"Definitely Jessica. She's hotter and doesn't appear quite as trashy," he reasoned. Summer just chuckled. "Ok, for you Summer, Chanel or Prada?"

"Whoa," she replied, unsure of what to answer. "Well, I typically like Chanel more for evening or formal wear, and Prada more for the everyday. So I'm going to have to go with both," she said after tossing it around for a minute. Seth just sat with his head back and eyes closed, a cute smile on his face. Summer gently moved her legs from around his and pushed her way across the tub, landing on top of him.

"Wow, hey there, Summer," Seth said as his eyes shot opened. Summer began lightly kissing his neck and making a pathway up to his lips. Small moans escaped his mouth, until she finally reached her target and eagerly began covering it with kisses.

Though the water continually got colder, things heated up between Seth and Summer, until they were unable to take it any longer. Seth scooped up Summer's dripping wet body and carefully exited the bath tub, carrying her towards the bedroom. When they got there, he set her down on the bed and straddled her, trailing soft, sensual kisses all over her neck and upperbody until she was begging him to go inside of her.

After they had thoroughly exhausted themselves, they lay in bed wet, a combination of tubwater and sweat covering their bodies. Seth closed his arms around Summer's shoulders as she lay with her head resting sleepily on his chest. Careful not to wake her, he reached down to pull the duvet over their bodies and clicked off the bedside lamp in the process.

Seth lay for awhile staring at the ceiling eyes wide open. He thought back to the game they had been playing earlier in the tub before Summer had decided to take advantage of his relaxed state. A question had formed that he had wanted to ask, but couldn't and now it played over and over in his mind.

"_Which do you like better, Summer, L.A. or New York?" _he thought, really wishing that he could know the answer, before drifting off to a comfortable sleep.

**A/N There you have it, folks. It's the weekend so I'm back to being fast paced. I hope you are enjoying these chapters. I figured it was about time for Summer to tell Seth, and for them to get busy again. LoL. Keep sending me reviews! If you have any questions/suggestions/comments, I always like to take them into consideration. I'll update again real soon (hopefully twice more today and twice more tomorrow, we'll see). Peace.**


	18. The Announcement

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Eighteen: The Announcement

Seth's cell phone alarm went off at nine o'clock the next morning, as he and Summer were supposed to meet up with Ryan and Marissa at ten to head back to Newport. After hitting the snooze feature three times, it was 9:24, and he figured he better wake Summer. He shifted his body so he could see her peaceful face snuggled against his chest. He smiled for a moment, and then bent down and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"Mmm, good morning," Summer mumbled sleepily against his lips. "What time is it?"

"It is now 9:25," Seth told her, before cover her lips with his again. Rather than kiss him back, she shot up, knocking heads with Seth in the process and jumped out of bed.

"Cohen! We were supposed to have an hour to get ready. Now I have, like, 30 minutes!" she yelled, frantically running around the room collecting her things. "I still have to pack and change and put on make up and-"

"Whoa, Summer," Seth said, crossing to where she stood and putting his hands on her shoulders. "Chill out. It's not like we have an appointment in Newport, it's just my mom and dad, and it won't matter if we're 20 minutes later than we said we'd be. I mean, come on, this is me, I'm always late," Seth smiled but became confused as Summer nervously looked down. "What is this about? Why do you seem nervous to go to Newport?"

"It's not about Newport."

"What is it then, Sum?"

She held her gaze to a spot on the floor, and quietly said, "It's your parents."

Seth looked at her in disbelief, a laugh in his voice. "Are you serious? Wh…why would you be nervous to see my parents!"

Summer just glared, which immediately wiped the smile off Seth's face. "Oh, I don't know, Seth. Maybe the fact that I haven't seen them for six years, because I felt the need to break up with their only…well, only biological son, who afterwards had to go through three years of intense therapy because of it! Don't you think that, maybe, MAYBE they might be mad at me?"

An understanding look crossed Seth's face, but it quickly turned into a comforting look, as he pulled her into his arms and let his hands fall to her hips. Summer's eyes stayed firmly planted on the floor. "Summer, look at me," he said softly, not speaking until her eyes met his. "When my parents see how happy I am when we get there, there is not a chance that they will be able to be mad at you." A small grin played at the corners of Summer's lips, and Seth continued. "Besides, my parents always liked you the best out of the girlfriends. Even better than Marissa," he whispered, letting a smile of his own form, before taking her into a deep kiss.

The kissing continued for several moments, until Summer pulled back and spoke against Seth's lips. "You do realize that it's probably 10 now, right?"

"Does it look like I'm in a hurry to go anywhere?" Seth joked, motioning to his naked form.

"Well, as long as we get there by 11, we should be ok," she replied sexily, leading Seth to the bed, and leaving the getting ready for later.

"Ryan! Seth!" Kirsten squealed as she opened the front door to see her pride and joys standing there. She wrapped her arms around the two boys' necks and held them as if they'd been revived from the dead.

"Ok, Mom, we need to breathe," Seth said dryly, sharing a smile with her.

"Boys!" Sandy said cheerfully, joining the group at the door. He put his arms around their shoulders and turned around to look at Summer and Marissa, his eyes getting wide. "Summer! It's been a while. Seth didn't even mention that you were coming," he said, exchanging sideways glances with both his son and Kirsten

Seth just shrugged. "I thought I'd surprise you the way Summer surprised me," he said with a wide grin. Sandy and Kirsten, whose first reaction to seeing the young brunette was a bit apprehensive, let out the breaths they had been holding and smiled at their son.

"And Marissa. You must think we're so rude. Come here," Sandy said, shifting his gaze to the blonde and holding his arms out for a hug. Marissa smiled and then hugged Kirsten as well.

Seth watched Summer's face intently and noticed a strange pain flash in her eyes. He quickly moved to her side and put his arm around her, not to go unnoticed by his very observant parents. After an awkward moment of silence between the sixlet, Sandy decided to try to alleviate any tension.

"Should we go in?"

"Yes," everyone answered at once. They quickly moved to the sitting room, where Kirsten offered everyone drinks. After it had been decided that they would all have some wine while they waited for Julie and her husband of two years, Keith, to get there, the group sat and started some small talk.

"So, Summer, what brings you back to the west coast?" Sandy asked, sounding genuinely intrigued.

"Well, I work for Cosmopolitan now, and I am writing a story about the youngest most successful men on the west coast," she explained.

"I've read your work," Kirsten said. "You're articles are quite entertaining."

"Thanks," Summer said, with a sweet smile.

"So, who are the guys that your interviewing?" Sandy asked.

"It's funny you should ask. Somehow, they selected a couple of 'talented' young men from Newport," she said, indicating who the 'young men' were by glancing at Ryan and Seth. "But if you ask me, they're using the word talent quite liberally," she joked.

"Hey! I'll have you know that it is not easy to write AND draw graphic novels, while running an empire of comic glory," Seth said, attempting to sound offended.

"Comic glory, Cohen? I think you're stretching it a bit," Summer quipped back. Sandy and Kirsten raised their eyebrows at each other, interested in what was happening between their son and his ex-girlfriend.

"I see your involved with someone, Summer," Kirsten said, holding up her ring finger. Summer's face turned instantly red, and she quickly moved her hand out of everyone's view.

"Oh, no, nothing like that. It's just a ring I got a long time ago," she said, raising her head just enough to see Seth's crimson cheeks. As if by some strange miracle, the door bell rang.

"Oh, that's probably my mom," Marissa said, disentangling herself from Ryan's embrace and rising to answer the door.

"Oh boy!" Seth said, sarcastically. Ryan just glared at Seth, who winked at him and gave him the thumbs up.

"Ohhhh, Marissa!" they heard Julie shriek from the entry hall. After a couple of moments of silence, followed by the clicking of high heels on the marble floor, Julie and Keith, followed closely by Marissa, appeared in the sitting room.

"Seth! Summer!" Julie said in a fakely excited voice, moving to give the very surprised pair hugs. She glanced at Ryan, bitterness in her eyes. "Ryan," she nodded.

Marissa rejoined Ryan. "Better now than later," she whispered in his ear, before clearing her throat to speak to everyone. "Ok, the reason that Ryan and I gathered everyone here was because we have some pretty exciting news."

"You got her pregnant!" Julie rudely interrupted. "Isn't one illegitimate child enough for you, Ryan?"

"Mom! I'm not pregnant!" Marissa yelled. "Before my mom decided to interrupt me," she said, shooting daggers in Julie's direction, "I was going to say that Ryan and I are-"

"Getting married," the usually quiet Ryan finished, ear to ear grins covering his and Marissa's faces.

"Oh my god, this is WONDERFUL," Kirsten exclaimed as she crossed the room to hug Marissa and ogle over her ring.

Sandy quickly joined her and put his arm around Ryan's shoulder. "You did great, son. I'm glad you're so happy," he said, giving Ryan a heartfelt smile followed by a hug.

Julie, whose jaw had not yet left the floor, sat in complete shock. "Marissa, you have got to be kidding me! You can't possibly think I'm going to help finance this!"

Marissa's face instantly dropped, and she had a flash of high school, when she constantly fought with her mom over this. "Mom, when are you going to grow up and realize that this is my life, and I love Ryan."

"Don't talk to me like that, young lady," the red headed woman said, eyes narrowing on her daughter.

"Or what! You're going to ground me? I'm 25, Mom, seriously. If you don't like this, then why don't you just-"

"Leave," Kirsten finished, hand perched on her hips and an intense glare in her eyes. "I don't like how you're talking about my son and the way you're talking to my future daughter-in-law. So unless you want to congratulate them and have some champagne, why don't you just leave?"

"Kiki, you're right, I'm so sorry," she replied, obviously worried about the prospect of being on Kirsten's enemy list. "Congratulations, Ryan, Marissa," she said, a fake smile plastered across his face. Keith also crossed the room and extended a hand to both Ryan and Marissa.

Seth, who had been sitting back and watching quietly as the drama unfolded before him, suddenly realized that Summer had been in the bathroom for ten minutes. He rose and ascended the stairs in search of his dream girl. He went down the hall to his room, thinking that's where Summer would be, but stopped at the door when he heard soft crying. He quietly opened the door and moved towards the bed, where Summer lay face down.

"I thought I'd find you here," Seth said quietly, laying down and facing Summer. He reached out his hand and rubbed soft circles on her shaking back.

"Just hold me, Cohen," she said, between sobs.

**A/N Any ideas what's going on with Summer? I guess you'll have to wait until my next update. Hahaha (sounds like evil laugh). Review, Peace.**


	19. The Family

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Nineteen: The Family

Seth and Summer laid in his room for almost an hour on his bed, just holding each other. After an hour, she rose from the bed and told Seth that she wanted to go get some fresh air. Wanting to say something, but knowing he shouldn't, Seth just nodded his head in understanding and whispered an "I love you" before she left.

Summer found herself walking out by the Cohen pool and sitting in a lounge chair, looking out at the beach. She sat for several moments thinking about what had caused her to break down. Coming to the Cohen house had done a number on her, as her decision on whether or not to take the job in New York or find a way to stay with Seth became even more difficult.

She realized, for the first time since their break up, that she hadn't only lost Seth six years ago, but also an entire family. Since her sophomore year of high school, when she and Seth first became friends, she had finally, for the first time in her life, felt like she was part of a real family. Whether it was having bagels and coffee with them before school or occasionally watching movies with Sandy, Kirsten, Seth, Ryan and Marissa on a slow Friday night, she had always had a warm sense of belonging when she spent any time in the Cohen household.

Now, seeing the way that the Cohen's interacted with Marissa and the news of the engagement, she felt very jealous, but also sad. Jealous that she couldn't have with Seth's parents what Marissa did, and sad at the thought that it was her fault that she didn't have that anymore.

Summer was interrupted from her thoughts when she heard footsteps approaching from behind her. She turned to see Kirsten coming towards her, carrying two margaritas and smiling. "I thought that you might need something to combat the afternoon sun," Kirsten said, offering Summer one of the glasses in her hand and taking a seat in the lounge chair next to her.

"Thanks so much, Kirsten," Summer said, giving her a warm smile back. The pair sat for a few moments in silence, staring out into the horizon and sipping their margaritas. Summer broke the silence by suddenly letting out a sigh. "It always amazes me that no matter how much my life has changed since high school, the ocean is always something that has remained constant."

A small smile formed on Kirsten's face before she spoke. "I know what you mean. I think I fell in love with it the first time that I saw it when I was a kid." She paused. "I guess that's why I never moved away—I don't know how you east-coasters do it," she said and shared a chuckle with Summer.

"So, how have you been, Kirsten? I guess it's been awhile, huh?" Summer said softly.

"It has been quite a while" the blonde said, a somewhat regretful smile playing on her lips. "Well, the boys moved out. That's pretty much been it. Julie and I ran our dating service for a couple more years after you guys moved to college, but that ended, when Julie started acting more like Julie again," she laughed. "Other than that, it's been pretty uneventful. Sandy and I usually visit the boys at least once a month in L.A., and they try to come here once a month, too. Ryan's a little better at that than Seth though, as I'm sure you can imagine." Summer just offered her a knowing grin.

"How about you, though? I mean, you broke up with Seth, graduated from college, and got a job as a reporter for the biggest women's magazine in the world. You're life would seem a little more exciting than mine."

Summer sat for a minute, not answering, still affected by the comment Kirsten made about Seth and her. Noticing the younger girl's newly saddened face, Kirsten sat up and reached her hand over to rest on Summer's knee. "Summer, I didn't mean anything bad by that. I was just attempting a joke, but as Seth and Sandy always remind me, I'm not the funny one," Summer gave a soft smile at this comment.

"Life's been, well, crazy. I mean, I live with Blanche in a flat on Fifth Avenue, I go to work, which is just amazing. I guess I'm just really lucky to have found something I really love," she replied.

"What about socially, are you dating anyone?" Kirsten asked, a curious motive evident in her voice.

Summer cast her gaze downward. "Not really," she responded in an almost inaudible voice. "Ever since…well, Seth. I haven't had a second date."

Kirsten tried to contain her excitement at hearing the younger girl's proclamation, but couldn't help herself. "That wouldn't be why you're still wearing the ring that Seth gave you and the reason you accompanied him here this weekend, would it?" she asked, hopefully.

Summer smiled up at Kirsten, but quickly shifted her gaze to the horizon. "I don't know, to be honest. I mean, without giving you too many details, I could say that my visit so far has been more than just professional. But I'm kind of in a rough spot right now," she said quietly, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Kirsten dropped the conversation at that, and the two returned to their initial positions of facing towards the beach and staring out into the ocean.

When the sun began to set, and Kirsten realized that they had been outside together for over an hour, she picked up her glass and rose to turn towards the house. She reached out a hand for Summer to help her get up from her sitting position. "Would you like to come in and help me prepare dinner?" Summer nodded. "You know by prepare I mean take it out of the takeout cartons, right?" Kirsten joked, eliciting a sweet laugh from Summer.

"I figured as much," she smiled, accepting Kirsten's hand and joining her in the walk to the house.

Before reaching the door, Kirsten stopped and turned to face Summer. "I just want to say thank you, Summer. For coming back into his life." The two shared a hug, which was not missed by Seth, who sat in the kitchen, and moved to walk inside.

"There's my two favorite women," Seth said, moving to put an arm around each of their shoulders. "What have you been up to out there?" Summer and Kirsten just exchanged a look and started giggling. "What? What did I miss?" he pleaded, following them to 'prepare' dinner.

After dinner, the 'family' curled up to watch Sandy's pick of Grease in the den. Seth and Ryan groaned as the girls, and Sandy, sang along to every song. The best part of the evening was when Sandy jumped onto the coffee table and performed his own rendition of 'Greased Lightening,' leaving the entire group laughing and giving Seth ammo for a whole new series of jokes.

As soon as the movie was over, the soon-to-be newly weds retired to the poolhouse. Sandy, Kirsten, Seth and Summer sat for a while chatting, but when Sandy gave what seemed like his 50th yawn of the evening, they all decided it was bedtime.

"Summer, would you like me to fix up the guest room for you?" Sandy asked as he rose to leave the den.

"Um, well, I—"

"I don't think it'll be necessary, dad," Seth said, putting his arm around Summer. Sandy and Kirsten exchanged a look and shrugged at each other.

"Ok, then. Well, you two have a good night," Sandy said, crossing to give them each a good night hug. When he embraced Seth, he whispered, "Way to go, son" in his ear. Seth just gave him a horrified look and shook his head.

Kirsten came over to hug Summer. "Thanks so much. For everything today, Kirsten," the young brunette said softly.

"Don't worry about it, Summer," she replied, giving her a genuine smile. "Maybe tomorrow you and I could do lunch before you guys leave, huh?"

"Sounds great," Summer replied with a smile, moving to give Sandy a good night hug.

Once the parents left the room, Seth moved to sit down on the couch and patted the spot next to him for Summer. "Does this remind you of anything, Miss Roberts?" he said, a bit of suggestion in his eyes.

"Do you mean other than every day after school junior and senior year, or?" Summer said, giving him a seductive smile. "Cohen, you do realize that we could just go upstairs and use your bed, right?"

"Of course, I do, my little Summer. But there's just something so nostalgic about this couch," he replied, reaching out a hand and pulling her down on his lap.

"Cohen, you're such a dork," she said, a laugh in her voice. "But, I kind of love you for it," she finished before laying her mouth on top of his.

The two sat, making out on the couch like they had when they were teenagers, completely unaware of Seth's parents, who stood in the doorway, watching the entire exchange and smiling. Sandy took Kirsten's hand and led her towards the bedroom.

"I remember when we used to be like that," he said, attempting to keep his voice down.

"What do you mean used to?" his wife replied, shoving him into the bedroom and shutting the door softly behind them.

**A/N I hope all of you dedicated Kandy fans liked this chapter. I thought it was pretty cute myself. I want to apologize to the Ryrissa's out there. I can't write them very well. They're kind of either boring or dramatic, which I didn't want to play into the story too much yet. Review, please. Peace.**


	20. A Vacation

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Twenty: A Vacation

Flash Forward: It is now Wednesday of the following week, and Summer is officially on vacation.

After spending Monday writing and polishing her story, Summer submitted it to the editor at the west coast office and was relieved to finally be on vacation for the first time in the two years that she worked at Cosmo.

She spent Tuesday the way any Cosmo reporter on vacation would, hitting up the spa and doing a little light shopping. It was now Wednesday, and she was getting ready to bring lunch to a very stressed out Seth, who had spent the last few days interviewing prospects for the VP position at O.S. Comics.

Seth sat at his desk, reviewing the notes he had taken during the interviews, and had narrowed the list down to three possibilities. The stressed look on his face turned quickly into a smile when he saw Summer stride into his office, a pizza box in one hand and a two-liter bottle of Dr. Pepper in the other.

"You are the best, Summer," Seth said, crossing the room to take the food from her hands and giving her a quick, yet meaningful peck on the lips.

"Don't mention it, Cohen. I was hungry, too," she said, offering him a smile before joining him on the couch. "So, do you have a new VP yet?"

Seth let out a deep sigh. "Well, I've narrowed it down, but the last three are leaving me with a pretty hard decision."

"Is there anyway I could help you?" she asked, trying in any way to relieve the stress that he was feeling.

"If you'd like to rifle through that mess," he said motioning to the mounds of papers on his desk, "And help me pick the person, then be my guest."

Summer rose from the couch, pizza slice in hand, and went over to Seth's desk. She sat in his chair and looked at the three resumes that seemed to be the ones that he was debating over.

"So, what are you looking for, Cohen? Because it looks like we have Jan, who graduated top of her class from USC with a degree in business management. Michael, an avid follower of Atomic County with a degree in fine art from Berkeley. And then there's Owen, who boasts that he was founder of the first Comic Book Club at Stanford and earned a degree there in, let's see, print media." Summer looked up and could see the wheels turning in Seth's head.

Seth rose from the couch and crossed to stand behind Summer at the desk, resting his head on her shoulder and looking at the resumes that she held. "I just don't know, Sum. They're all overly qualified, and seem like they would be great for the position. It's just hard to choose I guess."

"Which one did you identify with most?" Summer asked thoughtfully, turning to look into Seth's eyes.

Seth thought for a moment before answering. "I guess it would be Owen. I mean, not just because he founded a Comic Book Club," Summer laughed, "But I guess he just reminded me of myself when I was right out of college. He was kind of a dork, but he did have a great deal of wit and spunk He was a cool guy."

"You identifying with a cool guy, Cohen? That's a pretty far stretch," Summer joked, giving him a playful smile.

"Hey, I'm kind of cool, right?" Seth bent down until his face was level with Summer's. "I got you, didn't I?" he whispered before giving her an adoring kiss.

"Fair enough," Summer said, breaking away with flushed cheeks. "But now that you've picked you're guy, Cohen, I say we find another place for this paperwork," she finished huskily, before clearing the paper off of the desk and jumping on top of it, posing sexily towards Seth.

"There is a god," Seth said, dumbfounded, before moving to stand between Summer's legs and ravishing her with his mouth.

After Summer left Seth's office that afternoon, she went to the beach to layout and swim for awhile, but made sure that she left the beach in enough time to stop at the grocery store and make it home before Seth.

Seth arrived home from work to the aroma of food being cooked in his house. He set his briefcase down next to the door and left his keys and wallet on the small table. "Summer? Where are you?" he called out.

"In here, Cohen!" she yelled back from the kitchen. Seth entered the kitchen to one of the hottest sights he had ever seen. Summer stood in the kitchen in only her bikini top and a jean miniskirt, stirring some food on the stove and offering him a sexy grin. When he walked in, she stopped what she was doing and walked over to him, throwing her arms around his neck and giving him a steamy kiss.

"How was your day at work, baby?" she said in a teasing tone.

"Ah, well, I, it," Seth stuttered back, still taken aback from the kiss. He quickly attempted to clear his head and formulate semi-coherent sentences. "What do you mean, Summer? It was possibly the best day of work, well, ever. I found a replacement for Anna, which I thought would never happen, and I actually LIVED one of my biggest fantasies ever when we, ya know, did that thing? On the desk? All and all, pretty great day," he said, tightening his grip around her face and pulling her in for a hungry kiss.

Several moments of kissing passed before Summer broke away and remembered what she had been doing before Seth came home. "Cohen, whoa. As much as I'd love to continue doing this, I have to make sure dinner doesn't burn," she said, moving back towards the stove.

Seth took a seat at the kitchen table and just watched Summer cook. He was absolutely in love with how she looked when she was concentrating on a task. She got the cutest little wrinkle lines in her forehead, and her eyes had the most intense gaze. Sometimes she would kind of bite her lip, too, which was enough to make Seth want to—

"Cohen? Earth to Cohen," Summer said, waving her hand in front of his face to break him out of his trance.

"What, Summer? Did you say something?" he asked, slightly embarrassed that he had been caught during a moment of naughty thought about Summer.

"Yeah, I asked you what we were going to do this weekend?" she repeated, grabbing plates and utensils from the cabinets and walking over to set the table.

"I was actually going to talk to you about something tonight, but I guess now works, too. Seeing as the next issue of A.C. doesn't come out for two weeks, and I'll need some time to work out the sketches anyway, I was wondering how you would feel about leaving on a small trip to Catalina tomorrow. I thought we could take the Summer Dream, dock it, rent a hotel, or just stay on the boat," he paused, "I hope that's not too forwards," he finished, looking down, afraid of what Summer would say.

A sweet smile covered Summer's face, and she went to Seth and sat on his lap. "Cohen, that is the best idea I've heard in a long time. I would LOVE to go to Catalina with you," she said, kissing him firmly on the cheek.

"That's awesome," Seth said, instantly brightening up. "We can leave tomorrow when we wake up, I'll get online and make some reservations tonight, and then we can come back sometime on Sunday. I'm so happy you said yes!" he exclaimed, pulling Summer into a tight hug and kissing her all over her face.

"Geez, Cohen. Did you actually think I could say no?" Summer said, curiosity in her voice.

"Well, I didn't know what you would say. With everything going on with the job and all—"

"Say no more," she cut in, raising her hand to silence him. "I am on vacation, Seth. Which means no, and I mean, absolutely NO talking about my job. Got it?"

"Yes, Summer. I'm sorry for—"

"Cohen, zip it!" Summer said, a smile on her face, as she rose to bring dinner over to the table.

"Yes, Summer."

That night, Seth and Summer lay in bed, cuddling in the afterglow of the sensual love they had just made. They lay in silence, Seth softly rubbing Summer's back, and Summer running her fingers lazily over Seth's naked chest.

"Do you ever wish that things had ended differently between us in college?" Summer whispered softly against his chest, breaking the comfortable silence.

Seth, a bit taken aback by the question, paused for a moment to think about it before answering. "You know, for the past six years I've thought about that question, and my answer has always been yes. But lying here now, thinking about all that we've both accomplished and how much we've both grown, I don't think I would change a thing," he said softly.

Summer looked up from the spot her head had been resting on his chest and met his gaze, tears in her eyes. She reached up and kissed him softly, before laying down on his chest again. "That answer was perfect, Seth," she whispered softly, closing her eyes. After a moment, she felt sleep overtaking her body. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Can't wait," Seth replied, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

**A/N I hope that wasn't too cheesy for anyone. I know that people wanted to see more with Summer/Kirsten, but I needed the story to progress a little quicker, so I took a few liberties. Keep the reviews coming. The more you guys review, the more anxious I get to write the next chapter. Peace.**


	21. Decisions and Tears

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Twenty-One: Decisions and Tears

Seth and Summer rose early the next morning and packed up their things. After calling Ryan and Marissa to see if they would watch their animals, they drove to the pier and prepared the boat for their trip. While Seth made sure that everything was good to go on the Summer Dream, Summer went to the small market and bought snacks and drinks for their trip.

The two finally started their journey at around 11 am. They decided to take it pretty slow, so that they could take a lot of breaks in the ocean and just enjoy each other's company.

Once Seth had gotten everything situated, and they sailed for about a half an hour, he stopped the boat and joined Summer on the top deck, where she lay, bikini clad and slathered in tanning oil.

"Cohen! You're totally blocking my sun!" Summer whined as Seth hovered over her to get her attention.

"You can take the girl out of Orange County, but you can't take the Orange County out of the girl," he muttered sarcastically, taking a seat out of Summer's 'sun.'

"I heard that," she said back, rage blackout threatening in her tone.

"I meant you to," Seth quipped back. The two sat for awhile in a comfortable silence. "Summer, you should really sit up, look around. It's so beautiful out here," he said, trying to take in all of his surroundings.

"Cohen, did you remember to put on sunscreen?" She asked, completely ignoring his previous comment.

"Uh, no."

"That's what I thought! Come here," she demanded, reaching in her beach bag for some SPF 30. "You're skin is not made for this," she said, slathering his back and chest in the lotion.

"Summer, I'm Jewish. My people, they're from the desert," he said matter-of-factly. Summer just rolled her eyes and continued the task of sunscreening Seth.

When she was finished, she stood in front of him with her hands on her hips, nodding in approval at her work. Unable to resist, Seth reached out and grabbed her legs, sending her crashing down on top of him. "Cohen! You're going to render that sunscreen completely useless if you don't let it set."

Seth ignored her comment and began softly placing kisses along her exposed neck and collarbone. Summer was resistant at first, but quickly gave in, letting some desirable moans escape her lips. "Cohen. What are you doing?" she breathed between moans.

As he rolled on top of her and continued kissing her, he paused, an amused smile on his face. "Blocking your sun," he said he untied her bikini top and threw it on the lower deck.

After spending several hours at sea hanging out, eating, and well, having sex, Seth and Summer arrived in a Catalina harbor at around 7 p.m. Once they had docked the boat and gotten all of their luggage off, they checked into their hotel.

Seth had rented a beach front room at Hotel Metropole the night before, complete with huge picture windows, an in-room hot tub, and a king size bed. They took a moment to inspect the room, and after Summer gave her approval, she told Seth it was time to prepare for dinner.

Since Summer's shower would undoubtedly take longer than Seth's, she went first, while Seth napped on the king-size bed. Summer came out of the bathroom in only her towel and she went to where Seth lay, giving him a small kiss on the neck.

"Seth, Seth," she whispered softly at first. When several minutes passed with no response, Summer finally grew impatient. "Seth Ezekiel Cohen! WAKE UP!"

Seth shot up from bed and looked all around, completely disoriented. He finally caught a glimpse of Summer out of the corner of his eyes and turned to meet her gaze, not missing the peeved look she wore. "How long did it take this time?" he asked.

"10 minutes! Sometimes it is seriously unbelievable," she said, lightening the expression on her face and giving a genuine smile.

Seth rose from the bed and stood in front of Summer wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in for a kiss. Unfortunately for him, she wasn't haven't any of it. "Cohen, no way. Don't even start. You told me we were going out for a nice dinner tonight, and I just took a shower while your dirty ass laid in bed. You are just gonna have to wait," she said, attitude evident in her voice and posture.

Seth looked into her eyes, gave her a wounded puppy dog face, and walked towards the bathroom. "Not gonna work, Cohen," Summer said, trying her hardest to keep the hard-ass tone in her voice. As soon as the bathroom door shut Summer just smiled, let out a deep sigh and shook her head.

Just as she was about to turn around to do her makeup, Seth peeped out his head and caught her smiling. "I knew you couldn't resist me," he said, running out, pecking her on the lips and racing back into the bathroom before she could react.

"Cohen!" she yelled, only to be answered with laughter on the other side of the door.

While Seth sang Death Cab songs in the shower, Summer began blow drying her hair and putting on her makeup. She rifled through her suitcase until she found a fitting outfit for that evening.

It was a bohemian-style sundress that she wore with a thick brown belt. She matched it with some flat brown leather sandals that closed around her ankles and accessorized with antiqued gold jewelry. She wore her hair extra wavy by spraying it with some sea salt spray, and pulled half of it back, securing it with a gold barrette that matched her jewelry.

When Seth walked out of the bathroom, he was once again amazed at how one person could always look SO gorgeous. He especially loved the more laid back way that she dressed on this particular evening. She looked so tiny without her usual super tall shoes, but she also looked comfortable. The dress she wore looked amazing with her freshly tanned skin and showed just enough of it.

Seth was shaken out of his daydream as Summer spoke in an amused tone. "If you're not careful, that towel's going to fall off, Cohen."

Taking a moment to process what she meant, it suddenly dawned on Seth as he looked down, cheeks blushing immediately. "Sorry, Summer. It's just, you, uh, you look, it's just, um," breath, "You look really beautiful tonight," he finished, meeting her eyes.

Summer just gave him a soft smile and a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Cohen." The two stood awkwardly for a moment. "I'm just going to go," Summer pointed to the balcony.

"Right," Seth said. "I'll let you know when I'm ready to go."

After the dressing debacle, Seth and Summer spent a really romantic evening at a French restaurant on the pier. Summer wanted more than ever before to drop the magazine and come live with Seth, and Seth wanted to do whatever it took to keep Summer in his life.

Dinner over, the two walked along the beach, holding hands, and looking off into the distance. Seth stopped when they were about a mile down from their hotel and sat down. Summer positioned herself between Seth's legs, and he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

They stayed this way for a long time, holding each other in silence, looking out at the ocean. Seth thought about the ring he had hidden back at the hotel. He had bought it after the fantastic four had returned from their weekend in Newport. He figured that no matter what Summer decided, she at least deserved an upgrade, but deep down, he wanted it to mean a lot more than that.

Summer thought about the decision that she inevitably had to make. She knew that her heart was wherever Seth was, but her life was in New York. She had worked so hard to get where she was, and she was in a career that she was truly passionate about and really loved. Not to say, by any means, that she loved her career more than Seth, but it was the thing that she held onto more than anything when they had been apart.

"What are you thinking about?" Seth whispered quietly into her ear, breaking her thoughts and causing the hairs on her neck to raise.

"Nothing," she lied, shaking her head and shooting a forced smile over her shoulder. Seth just looked at her, until she finally shrugged. "I don't want to leave where we are. Right now," she admitted.

"I don't want to either," he said softly, turning her around to face him and taking her face in his hands. He leaned in and left an almost desperate kiss on her lips, as if he was begging for her to stay without words.

Emotions flooded Summer's eyes, and she laid her cheek on Seth's chest, grabbing on to him as if he would disappear at any second. "I think I have to go back, Cohen," she whimpered, burying her face into his neck.

"I know," he said sadly, rubbing her back.

The two figures sat with the ocean behind them for a long time, holding each other and crying, not wanting to let go, but knowing they would have to eventually. After about an hour, Seth composed himself, and pushed Summer back to arm's length so that he could look into her eyes.

"I have a proposition for you," he said, letting a soft smile grace his face. "Let's just enjoy this vacation, and when it's over, and it's time for you to go take your amazing job, we'll figure something out." Summer sat for a moment thinking about this.

"Ok, Cohen. I'll take that. But I want you to know something," she paused. "Just because I'm going back to New York, doesn't mean that I ever want you out of my life again." She kissed him firmly to reiterate what she said. "I love you," she whispered softly against his lips.

"I love you, too," he said, trying his hardest to be strong, but dying on the inside. They rose from the sand, hand-in-hand and returned to the hotel.

Once they had changed and said goodnight, they quickly fell asleep, holding each other, exhausted from the emotional night and thoughts of what their future might hold.

**A/N So I guess Summer made her decision now. This was a pretty rough chapter, but I had to get something out for you guys. I wanted you to know that Summer knows what she has to do, but is struggling, and Seth is going to try to come up with some kind of solution. I hope you liked it. Review, watch the O.C. tomorrow. I'll try to have something up soon, but school is a monster. ;) Peace.**


	22. A New Ring

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Twenty-Two: A New Ring

The couple spent the next few wonderful days in Catalina, enjoying each other's company. Summer would lay out on the beach, trying to further perfect her tan, with Seth sitting next to her, drawing pages for his upcoming issue and catching up on some of his favorite comic books that he missed reading while producing Atomic County.

On Saturday afternoon, while Summer lay out on the beach, Seth decided to turn their room into a romantic getaway. He made a pathway of pink and purple rose petals, Summer's favorite combination, that led from their in-room hot tub to the bed. He positioned several lavender scented candles on the hot tub ledge, the dressers, the bedside tables, and in a path formation, leading into their room.

He made plans to have Thai food delivered at around 6:30 and placed a blanket off to the side of the bed, with champagne flutes and candlesticks.

Seth told Summer that he would come and get her for her 'surprise' at around six. He sat on the bed at 5:45, fingering the 2 karat Tiffany's ring that he had bought the Monday before. He found himself more nervous than he had ever been.

Scenes flashed through his head: the trip to Tijuana, his grandpa's birthday party, the Wonder Woman costume, their first time, their second time, dancing in his room on Valentine's Day, pledging his love on a coffee cart, hanging upside down from his roof, kissing her, going to college together. His memories of her were endless.

He tried to pinpoint the one moment in his life when he really knew that they were meant to be together. He thought of the summer after junior year, after they had been reunited for 'good' at prom. He remembered that that night, he had stayed at Summer's house, but instead of fooling around or having sex, they had just laid in each other's arms, talking about anything and everything.

He could remember everything about that night: the way that her hair fell across her face when she laughed, the way that she smelled, the way that her eyes looked when she told him that she loved him, the way that her head fit perfectly in the nook between his neck and shoulder. He knew from that point on, that no matter where they ended up, they would never find something that meant quite as much as it meant when they were together.

Gathering all of his courage, he placed the ring back into its box and hid it in the nightstand drawer on his side of the bed. He slid on the flip flops that Summer insisted he buy earlier that day. Taking a deep breath, he looked back at the room for a final inspection and headed to the spot on the beach where Summer could be found.

When Seth got to Summer, he found her awaiting his arrival, staring out into the ocean. She had put on one of his old track jackets over her bikini to shield the night wind that was starting to kick in. Seth got butterflies in his stomach looking at her. Somehow she always looked so perfect wearing his clothes.

"Hey beautiful," he said, dipping down to give her a kiss on the cheek before taking a seat beside her.

"Hey," she replied softly, throwing him a sideways glance and a sweet smile. "I was wondering when you were coming."

"Sorry, I was little bit late," he mumbled apologetically. When Summer raised her eyebrow, Seth explained. "Last minute preparations and what not."

"Ahh," Summer said, giving him an understanding nod. "What are we doing tonight anyway, Cohen?"

Seth didn't answer at first, but opened his hand to reveal a blind fold. He moved around so that he was kneeling behind Summer, and gently put it over her eyes.

"Cohen, you know I hate surprises," she whined. Seth placed two fingers over her lips.

"I promise you, Summer. You will not be disappointed," he said, taking her hand and leading her towards the hotel.

When they arrived at the room, Seth led Summer to the bathroom and removed her blindfold. Earlier in the day, he had set up the bathroom with all of her cosmetics and toiletries and had brought in a new bikini and some comfortable clothes for her to wear.

"Ok, your instructions are to take a shower and get changed. It's just going to be me and you tonight, so you don't have to worry about going all crazy with the make up and taking three hours to get ready," she shot him a small glare before he continued. "When you're finished, just come out, and hopefully dinner will be ready," he finished, placing a soft kiss on her forehead and leaving the bathroom before she could protest.

After Seth left, Summer just stared at the door with a confused, yet intrigued look on her face. A small smile formed on her lips as she looked around the bathroom at all of her things neatly lined up on the vanity and the little pile of folded clothes Seth had picked out for her.

She was often still amazed at how cute and thoughtful he could be at times, but seeing as he had apparently really worked hard for this evening, she decided to quit wondering and just get ready for whatever he had planned.

Thirty minutes later, Summer exited the bathroom and gasped as she looked up, throwing her hands to her mouth in amazement. Tears filled her eyes as she looked around the room, which was now lit up by a soft candle glow that smelled of her favorite scent: lavender. She bent down to pick up a few rose petals from the floor and shut her eyes to take in their scent.

Seth, who had been kneeling down, taking Thai food out of boxes, turned at the sound of Summer's gasp and stared at her face, trying to gauge her reaction. He rose from the floor and moved towards her, catching her eyes. "Hey," he whispered, taking her into his arms.

"Cohen," she said, tears escaping down her cheeks, "this is so amazing." After staring into his eyes for several moments, she stood on her tiptoes and let her lips graze over his, leaving an electric sensation throughout his entire body

"Would you like to eat now?" Seth murmured against her lips.

Summer remained quiet for a moment, but then let a mischievous smile form on her lips, pushing back so that Seth could have a full view. "I don't know if I deserve food yet, Cohen. I've just laid on the beach all day," she said, trying to innocently seduce him.

"Well, well, maybe, I could, uh, you know, help you work up an appetite?" he stuttered back, unable to take his eyes off of Summer's.

"Sounds like a plan," she said, smiling widely before throwing Seth onto the bed and untying her bikini top.

Hours later, Seth and Summer still lay in bed, the Thai food abandoned on the floor, and the candles growing dimmer and dimmer. A bottle of champagne sat on each night stand, and it was obvious from their bubbly laughter, that they were the ones who had consumed it.

As they had just finished another of their laughing fits, Seth grew and tightened his hold on Summer, pulling her up until she was at his eye level. "Do you know what this reminds me of, Sum?" he said, gently stroking her hair.

"Hmm, I don't know, the night after prom?" she said, with a little knowing giggle.

"That night was amazing," he whispered, looking up at the ceiling.

"I know," she replied, almost inaudibly. "It was like the first night that we really knew--"

"How in love we were," they finished simultaneously, pausing for a second before meeting each other's gaze and bursting into a fit of giggles.

"I've been thinking about that a lot lately, Summer, especially with you going home in two days," Seth said, trying to segway the conversation into, well…

"Don't talk about that now, Cohen," Summer groaned, covering her eyes with her arm.

"No, Summer, I really need to," he said, seriously, causing Summer to look at him with question in her eyes. "When I remember that night, I always remember how perfect we were for each other then. How nothing could ever go wrong. I mean, don't get me wrong, we've had better moments since then, but it's just, that night, it seemed like all the things that went wrong in our relationship before that, Anna, your Dad, Tahiti, the comic book, whatever, it was all meaningless because right then, we had each other." When he stopped, he gazed intensely into her eyes for several minutes before continuing.

"Right now, I feel like we have that again. After everything's that's happened over the last six years, after not knowing you for the last six years, I feel like we have that right now. And I never want to lose that again." He slowly broke her gaze, and turned to reach into the nightstand, grabbing the box.

Summer's eyes widened a bit as she realized what was going on. Seth sat up and pulled her up to a sitting position, making sure the sheet stayed wrapped around her for the moment. "I know what you're thinking. It's too soon, or just bad timing, but I need to give you this," he said, opening the box and staring intently at the ring. "I need you to know that no matter what, I never want to be without you again. Not for six years, not for six months, not even for six days, Summer." He paused. "I love you."

The pair sat silently, completely still for what seemed like an eternity. They both gazed profoundly into one another's eyes, emotions swelling from their skin. As a tear ran down Summer's cheek, Seth reached his thumb up to wipe it off, and she turned her face to give him a sensual kiss on the palm. She continued to tenderly kiss her way up his arm, leaving chills in his spine and sending his blood rushing to certain regions.

The kissing continued until Summer straddled Seth and was kissing him hungrily on the neck and chest. The ring box slid out of Seth's hand and on to the floor, as he let his arms encircle Summer's waist.

Though they had just made love earlier, there was something different about this time. This time it was as though they were desperate, as if holding on to each other was the very way that they were holding on to life.

They continued at a slow, passionate pace, until they both reached a point of ecstasy that sent them shuddering and crying out to one another, and then finally collapsing lifelessly on the bed in one another's arms.

In the aftermath, Seth and Summer softly snuggled and caressed each other, trying to memorize everything about the other person, so that they could never forget the night, as they had never forgotten prom night.

Summer's eye caught on the blue ring box that had fallen to the floor, and she reached over Seth until she could finally pick it up off the floor. When she got back on the bed, she laid on her back, and opened the box to look at the ring, Seth watching her expression intently.

Summer took the ring that had previously taken the spot on her left ring finger and switched it to her right hand. She handed Seth the new ring, and stuck out her left hand, eyes never leaving his.

He broke her gaze and took her hand, leaving a light kiss on her ring finger before sliding the ring on it. Summer leaned in and gave Seth a very soft, yet fervent kiss before finally speaking.

"I don't know what it means yet, Seth, and I can't promise for a little while that we're going to be able to be together, like full time. But I want you to know that someday, I will be with you forever and that there's no one else I'd rather be with."

Tears fell down both of their faces as they leaned in, letting their tear salted lips met in a series of loving kisses. Both lay now, near sleep, dreading what was to come in two days, but basking in the fact that for now, in their lives, everything was perfect.

**A/N I hope that was a little surprising? Ok, so, maybe not. Just to let you know, Part One of the trilogy will be 25 Chapters, so after the weekend I will begin working on Part Two. I have a busy school week next week, so I would look for a BIG update the following weekend.**

**I liked how this chapter turned out, and I hope you guys do, too. I really got in the zone. It took me like 30 minutes. Review, please. And as always keep reading. Enjoy the O.C. tonight. 0) Peace.**


	23. Friendly Surprises

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Announcement

The gloomy sky that Summer and Seth awoke to the next day matched their moods perfectly. When the alarm first went off at 10, they decided to lie in bed longer, pretending to sleep to avoid the inevitability that the day would bring.

Summer's flight to New York left the next day, so going back to L.A. would be their final goodbye. Well, at least for now. They both knew what they wanted, but they still had to figure out a way to have it.

Summer lay thinking about the new task that she was about to take on. She was sadder than ever to leave Seth, but excited to return to Cosmo, move into her new office, and take on her new role as assistant editor.

Seth, on the other hand, was stressed about returning to the office Tuesday and training Owen, his new vice president. It wasn't that he didn't like Owen, or wasn't looking forward to getting to know him, it was just that Summer was leaving, and he couldn't deal with the thought of it.

"Cohen, are you awake?" a sleepy Summer muttered around 10:30.

"Mmm, hmm," he said back, looking down on his chest to meet her gaze.

"Let's just stay for a while," she said, pleading with her eyes.

"Yeah," he whispered. "The weather's not too great for sailing anyway," he finished, both accepting the double meaning and holding on to each other tighter.

At around 3:00, after they had laid in bed all day, except for getting up intermittently to use the bathroom, they both agreed that they had to head back to LA. Wearing sullen expressions, they packed everything up and after checking out, headed out the door, towards the boat.

They both gave long looks back at their hotel room in the doorway, trying to take mental pictures to never forget the romantic time they had that weekend.

The trip back was a quiet one. Summer sat on the bow, huddled into a blanket, looking out into the distance, and Seth manned the wheel, letting the wind carry his thoughts away.

They arrived back at the harbor and docked the Summer Dream. Seth took Summer's hand on the walk to the car, and she moved to nuzzle herself into his side, trying to enjoy every last touch for what it was worth.

On the way to Ryan and Marissa's to pick up Blanche (Rooney is fine at the house by himself; he just gets fed daily), Summer prepared herself for goodbyes with Marissa and Ryan. In the scheme of things, she wasn't that sad to say goodbye to them, but it did make her a little emotional at the idea of not being around for Marissa's wedding planning.

In front of the Atwood-Cooper apartment, Seth parked the car. He leaned over to Summer her, catching her off guard, and took her into a tight embrace. "I love you SO much, my little Summer," Seth whispered into her hair, causing her to get an amused smile on her face for the first time that day.

"Shut up, Cohen," she said into his chest, slapping him playfully on the arm. After a moment, she got a serious look on her face, and looked into his eyes. "I love you, too, though."

They got out of the car after a few minutes of holding each other and walked towards the Ryriss apartment. When the door opened, Marissa threw her arms around Summer's neck, causing Summer to smile.

"How was your weekend?" the overexcited blonde asked, while bending down to scoop up Summer's dog.

"It was the best weekend ever," Summer said, giving Seth a knowing smile, before moving to hug Ryan.

Seth gave Marissa an awkward hug and reached out to give his brother a 'man hug.' "So did the little one give you problems all weekend?" he asked, taking Blanche from Summer and letting her lick his face. Ryan just gave Seth a funny look and his typical 'Seth, you are too womanly' head shake.

"We loved having her," Marissa said, giddily. "I was even thinking about asking Ryan if I could get my own little puppy." Ryan's eyes widened at this comment, and Seth just pointed and fake-laughed at him.

"So, guys, thanks a lot for watching her. I just want you to know how good it was to hang out again," Summer said, trying to switch the subject to her leaving so that she could get back and spend the night alone with Seth.

"Oh, Summer," her best friend said, tearing up and moving to hug her again. "I don't want you to go back to New York."

"I know, Coop," she said softly, pushing the lump out of her throat. "But I think that it's going to be a really great opportunity," she finished, trying to convince herself more than her friends.

Summer gave Ryan a farewell hug, whispering "Treat her right, Chino," in his ear. Ryan hugged Summer tightly and gave her a nod when they pulled way.

"Summer, what is that!" Marissa exclaimed, tone turning from emotional to accusing in less than 2 seconds.

"What do you mean?" the brunette asked innocently, casually placing her left hand behind her leg.

Marissa just glared good-naturedly at Summer. "I don't know, maybe the massive chunk of metal and diamond on your ring finger," she said, crossing to pull Summer's hand from behind her back and examining it's new décor.

Ryan shot Seth a curious glance, to which Seth raised his hands in a not-guilty pose, shaking his head.

Realizing all eyes had turned to her for an answer, Summer searched her head in panic, trying to come up with an excuse. Finally, letting out a deep sigh, she looked down at the floor and spoke. "I guess that Cohen and I are…well, we're…I can't really-"

"We're engaged," Seth proclaimed, reaching his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. "In the sense that, one day, we know we want to be together, forever, but right now, our lives are kind of pulling us in different directions."

It was now Seth's turn to be under the scrutiny of the lens, as his three open-mouthed best friends stared at him in shock. A couple of seconds later, Summer closed her mouth and gave Seth a squeeze of appreciation before turning back to the other pair. "Exactly," she said, coolly. "We're engaged."

Excited at the idea of her confirming his announcement to their friends, Seth picked Summer up and pulled her close until their foreheads touched. "We're engaged," he whispered, grinning ear to ear.

"I know," Summer shrieked back, grabbing his face in her hands and kissing it with intensity. It felt like the first time all day the two had felt genuinely happy about something.

"Oh my God, guys, Congratulations," Marissa yelled, squeezing Ryan's hand to get him to share the same emotion.

"Yeah, man, that's great," he said, genuinely, but with remnants of shock still in his voice.

After the two girls shared the details of the night before and Ryan and Seth had one of their precious brotherly moments, Seth and Summer went to the car, some how happier from having shared their news with the world.

Later that night Seth sat on the couch watching Spiderman, Blanche on one side, Rooney on the other, while Summer packed and made sure she had everything she needed to bring back with her to New York the next day. When she finished, Seth kicked the animals off of the couch, and the two lay face to face, just enjoying each other's company for the last time in the weeks to come.

"How are we going to do this, Seth?" Summer whispered, a bit of doubt in her voice, but sounding like she legitimately wanted and needed everything to work out.

"Well," he started softly, rubbing her face softly with his finger tips, "we'll talk everyday obviously, I mean, via phone, email, sidekick, whatever. And, and I love the brisk east coast weather, so I wouldn't mind coming up at least every couple of weekends."

"And I can come back here more often, too," Summer added. "Maybe I can even see my dad at some point," she muttered dryly.

"I doubt that," Seth said, smiling teasingly, "but it will work."

They sat reassuring each other for a few more minutes. Seth told Summer that he would read every issue of Cosmo, and Summer vowed that she would try to keep up with Atomic County better when she got back home. They decided that they should both take better advantage of their vacations. Summer wanted to go to the Mediterranean in August, and Seth said that he would like to go to this Comic Book convention in Japan in November.

"We can even spend Chrismukkah together now," Seth said, sounding like a little kid. "It might actually be drama-free!"

The pretty brunette raised her eyebrow and smirked. "Cohen, just because it will work, doesn't mean that their won't be drama. We ARE from Newport.

Summer suddenly rose from the couch, chuckling, and jogged in towards her suitcase, bounding back out with a picture frame in her hand.

When she sat down next to Seth, he took the frame from her hand and a wide grin formed on her face.

"It's from the costume party in college," Summer explained, knowing that it was an evening that Seth wouldn't forget.

They had dressed as the Ironist and Little Miss Vixen, and though no one really knew who they were, they had one of the best nights ever. They had spent the night sitting at the bar, drinking beer and watching other people in their costumes. When they went to leave, it was raining, so they took a detour to Central Park and danced in it.

"I don't remember that night as well as the next day," Seth said with a laugh.

"When we laid in bed sick all day. It was fun though," Summer said in a far off tone. "Anyway, I always keep this photo by my bedside, and I just thought that you could have it."

Seth gave her a soft kiss before moving to his bedroom to retrieve a photo from his nightstand. When he returned, he sat next to Summer and handed it to her.

"In that case, I want you to have this photo," he said, smiling and putting his arm around her to look at it. It was a picture taken by Marissa at prom that Seth had kept with him since college. "I go to bed looking at it every night and wake up to it every morning. It was another memorable evening."

Noticing that Rooney and Blanche had fallen asleep, they rose, arm-in-arm, and walked towards the bedroom.

Hours later, they both sat awake, staring at the ceiling.

"It's not goodbye forever, Cohen," Summer said into the night.

"I know, just for now." He paused. "Just for now."

**A/N I'll have you know that I am not just a slow updater lately. The damn system had a bug when I tried to submit this morning. I know these chapters have been a little blah lately. I think the next story will please you guys more. Regardless, review me. Please? Peace.**


	24. The NonGoodbye

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Non-Goodbye

Unable to sleep any longer, Summer rose at 7 the next morning. She dressed in a velour tracksuit, one of the only things she had saved from her high school days, and taking two cups of coffee, went to wake Seth.

"Cohen, get your ass up! You're going to enjoy this day with me," Summer demanded loudly, causing Seth to shoot up from his sleeping position.

"Good morning, Summer," he said groggily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I wish you were a little more sympathetic to the sleeping." He graciously accepted the coffee that she held and propped himself against his head board.

"What do you want to do today?" She said with a hint of suggestion in her tone as she used her free hand to rub Seth's leg.

"I was thinking," Seth began, taking the cups of coffee and setting them on the nightstand, before pulling Summer against his chest, "we could do some of this. And a lot of this," he whispered, bending to kiss her, "And maybe a little of," he unzipped the top of her track suit, "this," he said huskily against her lips, sticking his hand inside of it.

"I think I see where you're going with this," she said back, coyly, positioning herself on top of him, until they lay, kissing like teenagers.

They lay in bed until 10, exploring each other's bodies like it was the first time for the last time. Anxious to get out and enjoy the sunny weather, Summer used her wily sex charms and convinced Seth to take her to lunch on the pier and a walk on the beach.

Though they were both sad on the inside, they did their best to wear the front of a completely happy couple. While out in public, they shared small touches and occasional soft kisses. From the outside, they looked like newlyweds, enjoying their new lives together. On the inside, they were both preparing for the hell of being away from each other for long periods of time.

At around 3:00, they headed back to Seth's penthouse to gather Summer's things. Her flight left at 5:30, and with rush hour traffic, it would take them at least an hour to arrive at the airport.

After a long ride and much debate about the degree of sadness that the music in the car was allowed to portray, Seth and Summer sat at a Starbuck's in LAX, sipping coffee and waiting until the last possible minute for Summer to go to her gate.

"So, you'll call right when you get there, I assume," Seth said, staring at a spot on the table, unwilling to meet Summer's gaze.

"Yep, and I saved your office and home numbers, in case you don't answer your cell," Summer said, giving a sad nod.

Seth reached across the table and grabbed Summer's hands. "There's not anyway that you could stay for a little longer?" he asked, begging her not to go with his tone

"Charley needs me there ASAP to train and be ready to help edit on the next issue," she answered forlornly.

She looked up with a sorrowful gaze and stared until Seth silently agreed to meet her eyes. When their eyes met it felt as though it would be the last time, even though they both knew that it was not the end. "Do you know how much I love you?" Seth asked quietly, moving closer to touch her face.

Summer ripped her eyes away and gave a slow nod. "I love you, too, Cohen."

"No matter what, Summer," he said, voice breaking as a solitaire tear slid down his cheek.

"I know, Seth," she cried, throwing her arms around his neck. The two stayed that way for a long while, until Summer glanced at the clock over Seth's shoulder. She pulled away, straightening her shirt and wiping her eyes. "My plane leaves in ten minutes."

"You have to go," Seth replied, nodding.

Summer stood and picked up her carryon and Blanche's carrier. Seth bent slightly at the waist so that he could look at the dog. "Goodbye, Blanche," he said with a smile, sticking his finger through the cage and scratching her head.

"You know I don't do goodbyes," Summer said teasingly, as she situated herself closer to Seth. A gentle smile bent Summer's lips, and she raised her face to Seth's. "I guess this is it, then."

"Yup," Seth said, carefully positioning his arms around her shoulders, avoiding bumping her luggage. "Have a safe flight," he murmured into her hair.

"I should be saying have a safe drive. Damn LA drivers," she said, attempting to lighten the mood. Seth humored Summer with his patented dimple grin.

"See ya, Cohen," she said over her shoulder as she walked away.

Seth raised his hand in a little wave. "See ya, Summer. Good luck."

**A/N So I know it was a short one, but I felt that it really fit the mood I was trying to convey. The next and final chapter will show Summer and Seth in their respective offices and the starts of their new lives. It will leave a nice segway into the next edition which I have decided to entitle "A New Edition." It's kind of fitting for the whole Cosmo/Atomic County deal. I hope you guys have enjoyed it thus far. Thanks for the killer reviews. Peace.**


	25. Author's Note

Alright, this is really just a tease for all of you AVID readers, but I just wanted to let you know that starting May 13 (the end of semester, THANK YOU, LORD!), I will finish this baby up and start "A New Edition." I'm leaving again for Florida on May 18 (through the 29th), so I would like to have almost all of "A New Edition" finished before I leave. Keep your fingers crossed for my finals, and hang on just a few weeks longer. I'm sure the real O.C. is freaking us all out enough anyway. Thanks for your continuous support throughout this project, it means a lot. Peace.


	26. A New Chapter

"The Most Eligible Bachelor"

Summary: Summer and Seth are leading separate lives now, but what happens when Summer's story for a leading magazine forces them together?

Disclaimer: I'd like to stake a claim on Adam Brody's dimples, but really, I don't own any of the O.C. characters or story lines.

Chapter Twenty-Five: A New Chapter

ONE MONTH LATER

Summer lay sound asleep in bed with Blanche at her feet. It had been a month since she left Seth in L.A., and she had finally settled into a routine as assistant Style editor at Cosmo. She and Seth had remained true to their word and had spoken for at least an hour everyday, in addition to a constant flow of ims and emails while they worked.

Because of their overloaded work schedules with Summer's new position and Seth's training of the new V.P., the two had only managed to spend two weekends together, one in L.A. and one in N.Y.

Summer was having a particularly bad weekend already on Friday night, because she found out that Seth had to cancel his visit because of some missed deadlines he had to make up for. She had bought him tickets to see a Death Cab show at one of her favorite clubs and had finally gotten reservations at her favorite upscale Japanese steakhouse. Seth's news, which had come the night before, had sent her into a downward spiral and led her to her friends Ben and Jerry and some 80s teen angst movies for support.

At the sound of "I will follow you into the dark" coming from her cell phone, Summer quickly shot up from her sleeping position, wiped her eyes, and flipped open the phone. "You're calling earlier than usual this morning," she yawned to Seth.

"Yeah, I know. I'm still feeling really bad about not making it up this weekend, and I know you were pretty upset with me last night," Seth paused. "You could have at least answered one of the 57 calls I made after I broke the news."

Summer sighed and leaned back on her pillow, letting her hand casually fall to Blanche's head. "I know, Cohen. It just sucks. I mean, the long distance thing already sucks, and the sudden cancellation of the amazing weekend I had planned--well, needless to say, sucked a lot."

Seth gave a little knowing smile, but tried to disguise it from his voice. "So what are you doing today anyway, baby?"

"I don't know now," she replied, still sounding defeated. "I guess I'll try to convince someone to see Death Cab with me tonight, and I'll probably just watch something Julia Roberts during the day."

"Well, you should probably start off the day with coffee and bagels, right? I've never known a day that started with a bagel to turn out too sour."

"Cohen, what is your deal! I don't care about bagels right now," she exclaimed, her voice sounding really annoyed at this point. "Now tell you you love me, and let me go back to sleep and wallow in self-pity."

"Summer, I know a way that you would like bagels this morning," Seth said, amusement in his tone.

"How is that, Seth?" she sighed, her exhaustion with the conversation clearly evident by her use of his first name.

"If I brought them to you," he said, appearing in her door way with Starbucks and the aforementioned pastry in tow.

Summer looked at Seth, the beginnings of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. She looked back at her phone, slowly clicked it shut, and without saying a word, ambushed him with a hug and kisses all over his face. After a moment, Seth pulled back.

"Whoa." kiss. "There." kiss. "Summer!" He pushed her back and moved to the nightstand, where he set down the contents of his surprise wake-up call. "Ok, now you may attack me," he managed to squeeze out before Summer pushed him back on the bed and kissed him passionately, causing Blanche to jump off the bed and exit the room.

The kissing progressed until Seth and Summer found themselves laying in the after-sheen of an intense sack session. Seth held Summer close as she nuzzled her head into his neck, a contented smile never leaving either of their mouths.

"Did you lie to me last night?" Summer said, a small smile playing on her lips as she looked up at Seth.

"No, I didn't," Seth said, shaking his head. "I just couldn't bear the thought of how sad you sounded on the phone, so I stayed up all night finishing drawings and took a red-eye this morning." He paused. "I may have to make a lot of phone calls to the office this weekend because I left Owen in charge, but I'm just glad to be here with you now."

"I'm glad you're here, too," Summer murmured into his chest, causing Seth to tighten his hold around her body. "But I gotta say, if I knew that me crying would work on you that well, you would be here every weekend," she quipped, catching Seth's eyes to reveal a mischievous twinkle.

"Hey, now. I can't be the only one to do the whole traveling bit. You are missed as much in L.A. as I seem to be in New York," he replied, doing his best to insert a pouty lip in between his ear to ear smiles.

The two spent the rest of the weekend inseparably. Seth was in awe at the Death Cab concert, and Summer could not stop smiling at how happy the tickets had made him. An intern in the promotions department at Cosmo had even managed to sneak Summer some backstage passes, and Seth was thrilled to learn that the lead singer of Death Cab was as obsessed with Atomic County as Seth was with the band.

They shared a romantic evening at Osaka, the Japanese restaurant Summer had wanted to try. They caught each other up on the minute everyday type things that they didn't always get the chance to talk about on the phone.

Saturday night ended as it had the previous two times they had visited each other: having sex, pouring each other's hearts out, crying, and eventually falling asleep nestled together.

Seth's flight was leaving earlier than usual on Sunday, because though he had made enough time to see Summer, he had to get back to O.S. to make sure that he still had a company.

After waking each other up the "right" way, as Seth called it, the two walked to the Starbucks on the corner and sat for a cup of coffee before hailing a cab to take them to JFK.

The car ride came and went in relative silence. Seth sat clenching Summer's right hand, as if to physically hang on to her, while Summer sat staring at the ring on her left finger, contemplating the state of their relationship.

When they reached the airport, Seth went around the car to open Summer's door and told the cab driver to wait ten minutes, and Summer would be back, while slipping him a $20. He then went back around the car, and wrapped his arms around a cold and lonely looking Summer.

They stood in their embrace for several moments, neither wanting to let go. Seth finally pulled back and laid a soft kiss on Summer's lips and said an "I love you." Summer responded with an "I love you" but kept her gaze fixed on the pavement.

"Hey," Seth said softly, hooking his finger under her chin and pulling her gaze to his level. "It'll get easier. And I'll see you in a couple of weeks, right?"

Summer just nodded and Seth pulled her into a final hug before making it known that he had to leave or he'd get stuck in security and miss his plane. They shared one final kiss and Seth waved goodbye and headed into the airport.

"Cohen! WAIT!" Summer shouted and ran after him.

"What is it, Summer?" Seth said, turning around to meet her eyes with half curiosity and half smile playing on his face.

"We can't keep doing this, Seth," Summer said, emotion evident in her voice. Seth's face dropped dramatically at this comment. "I don't mean us," Summer said, attempting to reassure him that it wasn't a breakup, "but this. Coming. Going. Living in different cities. We're not getting younger. I want to marry you and live with you and have kids with you and most of all BE with you. We have to figure out a way to make it work for us. And soon," she finished the desperation evident in her tone.

"I know we do, Summer," Seth said, taking her into his arms and burying his face in her hair. "And we will. But please don't give up just yet. I need you," he said, meeting her eyes.

Both of them were teared up at this point and all Summer could think to do was plant the most soul-crushing kiss known to man on his lips in front of Jesus, Moses, and everyone at JFK. After finally running out of breath, the two pulled apart and sucked in deep breaths.

"I love you, Cohen, and I need you, too," Summer said, catching her breath. She took his face in her tiny hands. "But please, don't make me wait forever to be with you. We need a plan." She half smiled at her last comment.

Seth still in awe from the kiss, almost forgot it was his turn to speaking. Taking a deep breath, he started in on a ramble. "Summer Anne Roberts, future Mrs. Cohen. I swear that next time we meet, I will have an amazing multi-phase plan on how we will make this work. Well, it does already work for the most part, but you know, work more efficiently, with the kids and the marriage, although not necessarily in that order. I mean, that is, unless you wanted the kids first, because I'm pretty flex--"

"Cohen, I love you, but if I let you ramble on any longer, you'll miss your flight," Summer chuckled.

"Right," Seth said before taking her into their final final goodbye kiss. "Ok, have a good couple weeks at work. I love you. I'll call you as soon as I land," he said, letting go of her hand and moving back.

"I love you, Cohen," Summer said with absolute sincerity, giving a slight wave before turning around. After walking about five steps she turned back, and shouted over her shoulder. "Oh, and Cohen?"

"Yeah," he said from his position at the airport's entrance.

"The multiphases sound good," she laughed before getting into the cab, leaving him to shake his head.

**The end got a little cheesy, but this is definitely a good segway for what I want to do in part two. Let me know what you think please. And I'll have 2 chapters up within 24 hours. Thanks! Peace! Review.**


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